Back To Black
by HarperGrey
Summary: David's evil twin James helps Hades get Zelena back, and in return Hades takes the life from Robin and revives James. Upon their return to Storybrooke, Regina has isolated herself and is on a path of destruction and revenge. Meanwhile, James is attempting to survive in this new world, outcast by his brother and the town.
1. Chapter 1

_So I'm toying with this idea. For anyone who hasn't seen the latest episode, don't read if you don't want spoilers...Also if you're diehard OQ, you probably won't like this..._ _All right, you've been warned. No one will even be interested in this, but I need to write this idea out to get it out of my system, so here it goes._

 _In the Underworld, following the last episode: After David and James' fight, James is thrown into the water but, unbeknownst to everyone, is saved by Hades. They make a deal that if James can assist Hades in his quest to get Zelena back, he'll give him life again. James kidnaps Zelena from Pan and Rumple, as well as lures Robin and the baby into a trap. Meanwhile, Regina, Emma, David and Killian have found a way back, and are trying to find Robin and the child in the forest. When they find them held hostage, Hades reveals that the only way he will let them leave is if Zelena and the child stay. When Robin says he is not leaving the child, Hades agrees...by taking the life from Robin, dooming him to Underbrooke forever, and giving his life source to James as payment..._

* * *

Darkness. It was Regina's only emotion since returning to Storybrooke. She'd witnessed another love of her life die before her at the hands of another, her happy ending shattering into a million pieces. Upon their return to the living version of the town, she'd instantly vanished in purple smoke, transporting herself to her own home.

After sealing it completely from visitors with her magic, she allowed herself to crumble, to utterly fall apart. She didn't know how many days had passed or how long it had been since she'd had a meal. She heard Emma and Henry and the others pounding on her front door from time to time, that is until she added the sound barrier spell to it.

The emptiness swirled inside of her, bringing her deepest demons to the light. She felt as hopeless and vengeful as she did back in the Enchanted Forest, where her happiness was stolen by her mother, by The King, and by Snow.

Regina didn't know how much more she could take. She'd grown up under the rule of a mentally abusive parent, watched her first love die, had her innocence practically sold to a man three times her age, had been raped and confined by the bastard, made herself baron to save another child from her mother, had almost lost her adopted son to his biological parents, witnessed the man she loved have a child with another, and now witnessed him take his last breath.

 _Villains don't get happy endings._ She was a fool to think she'd ever have one, or even deserve one. No matter what good she did or who she saved, her past would always catch up with her. Everyone she loved would somehow be harmed because of their affiliation with her. Their love may have given her strength, but what good was that when she couldn't even protect them with it?

Henry was better off with Emma and Killian, for she would do nothing but bring him harm. Look what she'd done to him in his young life already. Treating him like he was crazy over the fairytale book, keeping him from his biological mother and subjecting him to countless dangerous situations due to enemies from her past. She ached for him but she refused to give into her maternal instincts. She was no decent mother to him and she never could be. She was not worthy of anyone.

Almost three months had passed since she isolated herself, not leaving the house other than in the wee hours of the night when she needed to go to her tomb. She was there now, staring at the rows of small boxes on her shelves, pulling down one and opening it.

She took a deep breath before reaching into her chest and pulling out her heart, staring at the mostly black organ for a few moments. It used to be much redder when Robin was alive, he'd brought her back to life in many ways. Now it was as dark as in her Evil Queen days and it was getting harder and harder to control her malicious thoughts.

She placed the pitiful organ into the box and shut it, sliding it back into the shelf with others. It was useless to her now anyways. At least without her heart in her chest her pain was more of a dull ache rather than the sickening, searing kind she had been enduring since her boyfriend's death.

Without her contradictory heart, maybe she wouldn't be burdened with the heroism and morals that had creeped into her life. An influence of the people she spent more time around than she should've. She wasn't like them, she wasn't a hero, and she never could be. She didn't belong.

Having loved ones had made her weak and allowed her to let her guard down. Since becoming a hero she hadn't been able to make the tough decisions and do things that needed to be done without a nagging voice in the back of her mind to do the right thing. Having a family, being a hero; it had made her weak. It clouded her judgement.

Had she not been so concerned with talking sense into that idiot sister of hers, had she not been so preoccupied with helping people get to the light in Underbrooke, Robin would still be alive. She'd have found a way out, Hook or no Hook, and gotten them to safety. But no, she'd done the right thing, she'd tried to get everyone to safety. And look where it got her.

Back to square one, alone and miserable, with nothing but hatred to keep her company. Hell, she'd gone to the Underworld to help her so called "family" and in turn lost her own. Robin was dead. Roland had returned to the Enchanted Forest with Little John. Henry was better off with his real mother, where he was safe.

Regina didn't trust herself anymore. She couldn't keep the dark thoughts from invading her mind, the spark of adrenaline that rushed up her spine when she thought of going down the path of destruction. This feeling of hopelessness was a familiar one and the seduction of evil pulled her in closer each passing day.

She wanted revenge. She wanted to blame someone. To rip someone to shreds and make them feel what she was feeling right now. Pacing the floor of her tomb with her fists clenched, she relived the final moments in Underbrooke.

They'd almost been home...Regina and Emma had managed to put their magic together and fashion a portal for them. Just when they thought it was coming together, she'd gone to fetch Robin and the baby from the forest. They were gone, which Regina later found out her love had been lured into a trap by David's evil brother. In return he'd gotten the life source that was stolen from Robin.

Regina slammed her fist down on her magic podium, making the tiny glass bottles of potions rattle, dangerously close to rocking off of the surface. James didn't deserve to be alive, didn't deserve the life he'd been given again. Robin should be the one alive in Storybrooke...with her. She'd see too it that James paid for what he'd done.

She bit her lip, suppressing the evil grin that threatened to spread across her face at the morbid ideas of how to punish him came to fruition. It had been so long since she'd allowed herself to think such things, to embrace her darkness instead of stifle it to make everyone else comfortable. No, Regina had had the last thing taken from her that she ever would, and she'd be damned if she didn't make people pay.

* * *

"Have you seen any sign of her lately?" Snow frowned as she asked Emma, sitting in the corner of the booth beside David as their daughter and grandson faced them on the other side of the table. She couldn't help but notice Henry roll his eyes at the mention of his adoptive mother. While Snow could understand his anger, she felt sorry for both of them. She knew Henry's anger stemmed from the pain of rejection, but she also sensed why Regina had secluded herself.

It was clear that Regina was struggling with the darkness again and Snow did not know what to do to help. She'd attempted stopping by on multiple occasions, but Regina wouldn't let her in. Emma had attempted to break into both her home and her vault with no luck. Henry had also tried to speak with her, slipping a letter under her front door when she wouldn't answer for him.

Snow knew she should be mad at Regina like Emma, David and most of all Henry was. However, she couldn't help understanding where her friend's isolation stemmed from. Regina had been through too much for her to handle and keep up a brave face. She needed to be alone, to deal with her demons.

Snow also knew how little credit Regina have herself, how low her self worth was. To Regina, she was and always would be the person she used to be, who did horrible things that couldn't be forgiven. She was harder on herself than anyone, and she felt things more deeply than anyone in this town.

So no, Snow couldn't bring herself to be angry with Regina for isolating herself. She understood her too much. She just wished she knew how to help.

"Nope, haven't seen her," Emma sighed with an arch of her eyebrow and a matching eye roll to her son's. Emma and Henry were equally hurt by Regina's rejection, both having special bonds with her and not used to being shut out.

"I really wish we could find a way to reach out to her, it's been three months since Underbrooke and the most we've seen of her is through her window," Snow let out a deep breath, "I'm worried she's going to let this go too far."

"You think she'll turn evil again?" David frowned a little, pausing mid-slice of his pancake.

"Look how close she came when Robin's wife came back and broke them up," Henry piped in, setting his fork down and leaning back in the diner chair as if he'd lost his appetite, "I know my mom, this is too much for her to handle on her own and she's not letting us help."

"I just don't know what else we can do. If she doesn't want to see us, she'll make sure of it," Emma shook her head frustratedly, "She's done a damn good job so far."

David and Snow nodded in disappointed agreement, the four of them turning their head towards the door when it opened with gusto. Snow felt her husband tense beside her in the booth as their eyes registered who it was. The diner suddenly grew silent at the unwelcomed customer.

James gave them a smug smile as he walked past their table and up to the counter to put in his order. Since his arrival in Storybrooke, David had warned him that he'd better make himself scarce, and that if he tried anything, he would lock him up.

James abided by his twin's warning for the most part, though there had been a few instances where he'd shown up in town. Usually it was to go to the liquor store, seeing as Granny refused to serve him alcohol in her establishment. On his few appearances in town he always manages to irk David in some way, usually with his cockiness.

"What is he doing in here? He knows better," David growled under his breath to the three of them at the table as Snow outstretched her hand to rest on his arm.

"Don't jump to conclusions yet, he hasn't done anything," She whispered in an attempt to diffuse the situation. All it took was one glance at the three of them and a sleeping Neal in his car seat in the booth beside Snow before David's mind was made up.

Her husband stood from his seat, rounding the table with determination as he went up to James. David's hand was on his gun in his belt, prepared for a show down with his twin.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," David shrugged with an arrogance that Snow had only seen him reserve for a few people, the Evil Queen being one.

James raised an eyebrow, halfway turning from the counter to glance David up and down once, "What are you gonna do? Shoot me for ordering a burger?"

"We have an agreement, James," David gritted out in an attempt to stay calm, "You steer clear of the innocent people in this town, don't cause trouble, and I let you stay."

"I'm not causing any trouble," James shrugged in defiance, stepping up to his brother in challenge, "It seems to me like it's the power tripping sheriff that's causing the problems."

"Get out, I don't want you around my family," David gripped his gun tighter, nodding towards the door.

About that time Granny appeared from the back of the kitchen as the people of the diner fixed their eyes on the situation, ready for the next morsel of drama.

"You heard the sheriff, I wouldn't be serving the likes of you anyhow," Granny narrowed her eyes over her glasses, giving James a disapproving once over.

James looked at Granny before scanning the diner, seeming to note the number of disgusted expressions at his mere presence. He glanced back at David and Snow could tell Jame's was forcing the grin that appeared to mask any proof that it had gotten to him.

"Would you look at that, brother? Once again you're the chosen one," James said sarcastically, picking his wallet up from the counter and shoving it back in his pocket.

Snow watched David's jaw tense at James' words as the dark twin pushed past, brushing shoulders with his brother on his way towards the door. While she far from liked James, she couldn't help the niggling feeling that they were being hypocrites. He hadn't caused any trouble for three months now, and hadn't intended to when he came in Granny's today. After all they'd done themselves, she couldn't seem to stifle the guilt that crept up in her at the idea of denying James a second chance. Of course, there was no way she could mention this to David.

Her husband had made up his mind about his twin brother, especially when James hadn't ever made an attempt to redeem himself. She would have to learn to accept the idea that some people don't change.

* * *

James kicked shut the door of Zelena's farmhouse behind him as he came in, setting his bottle of whiskey down on the table with more force than necessary. He'd been squatting in the old house since he arrived in Storybrooke with nowhere to go, unprepared for life in this strange world. Not to mention his twin had more than warned him to stay away from the city limits. At least David _allowed_ him to frequent the liquor store.

His stomach growled as he sat down at the table, sliding over his empty glass from before and screwing the top off of his cheap whiskey. His money was dwindling quickly, so he'd been forced to bargain shop. Hades had sent him to this world with empty pockets and no idea how to fill them once again. You didn't need money in Underbrooke, what was the use for it? And back in his days as Prince, if they needed money he would either steal it or charm it from another kingdom. Here he felt helpless, which didn't settle well with him.

He'd looked for honest work, wandering into businesses around town to see if they were hiring. He'd even stopped at the local mechanic's shop to see if they needed an extra hand. Not that he knew anything about these strange, new carriages of this world, but he offered to do anything that needed to be done. The hunger pains weren't going to cure themselves, after all.

But, as his luck would have it, the mechanic recognized him as the evil twin of David Nolan that the idiots of this town gossiped about, and not-so-kindly asked him to leave his shop. James got him back in the end, though, waiting until the greasy bastard had left for lunch at Granny's before inviting himself in the back door of the establishment and helping himself to the cash register.

That was the only place he'd robbed so far, rationing the money for liquor and a few staple foods to get him by. It wasn't his morals that had prevented him from taking from anyone else, but he had to plan the next theft better so it would not trace back to him. He believed what his brother said about locking him up, and he'd be damned if he'd let him have the satisfaction. No, he couldn't take any chances, he was already banished from town and scraping by, he didn't need Prince Charming's bullshit on top of everything else. If this world didn't want to give him a fair chance at making it, he'd take it for himself.

James took a large gulp of his whiskey, letting out a long breath as it burned it's way down his throat. It wasn't the best quality, but it still numbed his hunger and restlessness. He'd never been so unsure of his next move. Before he'd died his life as a prince had at least given him purpose. His adoptive father was harsh and cruel, but he taught James how to out maneuver anyone who crossed his path. But that was in his old element, back in another realm where things made sense and he had an army on his side.

After his death his days in Underbrooke were consumed with thinking about the past and brooding over his life compared to his brothers. His parents had given him up, had subjected him to a life of harsh rule under his adoptive father, and yet David still got the life James wanted. David had been the chosen one, was kept by their parents and loved. Then he was able to act as Prince, was beloved by his kingdom, and was even able to defy the King's rule of his life and marry his love, Snow White. David had truly gotten the best of both worlds, while James received misery in both.

Of course when he confronted his brother in Underbrooke, he'd told David the reason he hated him was because he got the life and glory he himself had wanted. It was true, but it wasn't the whole truth. James would rather die and end up in Underbrooke all over again than admit to David that the cause of his pain was indeed that their parents had chosen his brother instead of him. That's where the self loathing began. He couldn't understand what they saw in David that they hadn't seen in him. They must have know his brother had the better heart and potential. Could he really blame his parents for giving him away? Or could he blame them for the way he'd turned out?

It was something he never could seem to come to terms with. Was he born evil and his parents saw that, or was he product of how his adoptive father had raised him? In the King's home he was raised to put money and glory above all. It was on his shoulders from a very young age to do anything that needed to be done to get money and save their kingdom. His father had very little tolerance for failure, pushing James to the limit daily to be the best at fighting, manipulating and charming anyone in his way. By the time he was of age he was a fine tuned machine controlled by King George.

But those days were long gone now, and he was once again a nobody. No family, no belongings and no purpose. He was in a new world, but his past still held him back. It didn't seem fair, but then again he didn't deserve fairness. Though, thanks to King George, he had been educated in the art of taking what he wanted, and he knew in this land he'd have to do just that. Grabbing the bottle of whiskey, he poured himself another glass full before leaning back to contemplate his next move.


	2. Chapter 2

_how about last night's episode? fuck everything. i'm so tired of the way the writers continually do things to ruin Regina's happiness but don't even give her adequate scenes to address her emotions. so, that's exactly what i'll do in this fanfic because i know they'll just gloss over her mourning and keep shafting her. anyways, i guess this story will be my way to vent a little. let me know what you think x_

 _ps, I created fan accounts to post updates on my stories and communicate with you all. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter: onceharpergrey (:_

* * *

Regina grimaced as she opened her eyes to the sunlight peeking through the curtains. Her house was cold and drafty, the clock in the upstairs hall chiming the time to be well into the afternoon. Her body ached with grief, making her not want to move from her curled up position on Robin's side of the bed.

It still smelled like him; forest with an undertone of spices and musk. It smelled like home, made her stomach swirl sickly with longing for her soulmate. She buried her face into the pillow, inhaling shakily to get the sense of being near him once again. Though it wasn't enough. It never was.

Regina thought she'd be past this stage of grief now, being three months since he'd been gone. Some nights were better than others, but most mornings she still woke up with a literal pain in her chest. At least it was more of a dull ache now since she'd abandoned her heart in her vault.

Her soulmate was gone. She could never imagine truly being happy. Opening herself up to the idea of love again had been terrifying enough when Robin came into her life and she vowed that she would never make that same mistake. Everyone close to her got hurt. Love blinded her. She let out a bitter laugh upon the realization that Cora was right...her heart was a weakness.

Still, she wanted him to be alive so badly. She needed Robin. Her head pounded as fresh tears blurred her vision, reddening her already puffy eyes from the amount of crying she'd done hours before. How could she be going through this again? After everything she'd been through, how could have failed to protect yet another great love of her life? She gritted her teeth in anger at herself as the tears spilled out over her cheeks and onto Robin's pillow.

The sadness that flowed through her veins slowly began to turn to anger, per the usual daily routine. Steeling herself and channeling that despair into rage was the only way she could pull herself together. It was the only way she could manage not to crumble at every reminder of her thief. They were everywhere, a forgotten toy of Roland's wedged in the couch cushion or finding a random _I love you_ note her soulmate had written and left for her as he often did. These reminders knocked the wind out of her when she discovered them, made her body feel like lead and threaten to collapse.

So during the day, she'd force herself to be angry, to let the hatred absorb her mind and soul. It was all too familiar and welcoming. The hate warmed her cold bones and ignited a fire in her for vengeance. She allowed it, even welcomed it, for the rage was easier to deal with than the heartbreak. It worked during the day while she spent her time brooding and planning revenge, fantasizing about how she could ruin everyone who had ever wronged her. Though when night fell the loneliness crept up inside of her as it always did, causing her throat to tighten with tears and a melancholy heaviness press down on her chest as if it were moments away from suffocating her.

For three months her nights had been spent like this. Small increments of sleep occurred when she cried herself into exhaustion, only to wake up in tears from dreaming of her lost love. Sometimes she'd try to combat it with drinking, but usually she'd throw herself into the feeling, each time praying that when the sun rose again she'd feel better. But her hope was lost, buried six feet under with the love of her life. So the cycle continued each day and night.

Regina pushed herself into a sitting position from the bed, her body feeling heavy and the exertion making her light headed. She needed to at least make it out of bed and attempt to focus on something other than her misery. She needed a plan of action, something to ease her mind and give her a reason to keep going. Sure, she had contemplated ending it all many times. _What else did she have to live for?_

 _Henry_...Even though she'd removed herself from his life she couldn't leave him completely. He probably hated her by this point and she knew it was for the best, but she couldn't bring herself to leave this world. She'd keep an eye on Henry from a distance, make sure that he was safe from harm and do her best to make sure he was happy. Even if he didn't know she was doing it.

Her feet hit the cold floor, sending chills up her spine as she rose from her bed. The heat wasn't on in her home and she preferred it that way, for she'd done away with the electric for the most part. The blinds were drawn, blocking out as much sun as she could manage. It was beginning to feel like her dark castle and the familiarity of the environment comforted her in a sadistic way.

Regina walked slowly down her hallway, running her hand down the railing of the stairs as she descended them. Pain hit her like a punch to the stomach as she entered her kitchen, mentally envisioning the evenings when her home was full of life. She could see herself at the counter cooking, Roland on a stool beside her and sneaking bites of the dessert they made while Henry sat across from them, engrossed in his comic books but chiming in every now and then. Robin would come home and embrace her from behind at the counter, kissing the spot on her neck that promised a passionate night was in store for them. _She missed his touch. Craved it, even._

Shaking the vision from her mind, she made her way to the counter, glancing at the clock on the oven as she grabbed a bottle of merlot from the cabinet. It was only a few hours past noon, but what did the time matter anyways? Her body adhered to no schedule and she had nothing else to fill her time besides taking the edge off of her physical discomfort. She filled a glass halfway, picking up it and the bottle before making her way out of the kitchen, leaving it's memories behind.

Regina made her way through the foyer, downing most of the first glass. She hesitated when she reached the archway leading into the den, staring into the space for a moment. Roland's blanket still draped over the chair they used to cuddle in. Her eyes focused in on it, fresh tears welling as her heart constricted. She missed the little boy she'd come to think of as her own. He was now back in the Enchanted Forest after returning with his god father, Little John.

A few weeks after Regina had returned from the Underworld she'd missed Henry and Roland so much she actually considered going to get them. For a moment she thought she could rise above and not let the darkness consume her. She thought that if she focused all of her energy on raising Henry and Roland she could stay on track. So she came out of hiding on a mission to find her son, defying her instincts to stifle her vulnerability. After checking Emma's and Snow's to find no one home, she spotted him through the window at Granny's. He sat with his grandparent's, mother and Hook as they all shared a meal. He looked happy despite her absence; they all did.

Regina hadn't been able to go inside for the sudden guilt and self loathing that the scene evoked in her. Guilt that she'd abandoned her son because of her own grief, ignoring his like the selfish person she was. Self loathing because she'd removed herself from their lives and they all were fine, laughing over dinner and seeming almost happier with her gone. _Were they happier because her dark influence was out of their lives? Was Henry better off without her?_

She'd disappeared in a purple cloud of smoke before anyone could spot her out in town, transporting herself to the edge of the forest near the Merry Men's camp. Regina thought Roland still might at least need her. He was an orphan now, after all, and she was the closest to a parent that he had left. Her guilt only increased as she considered this while she approached the camp. Roland has lost his father and she hadn't even comforted him.

Her steps quieted as she got closer to the tents of their camp, seeing the fire in the middle where the men huddled. She swallowed a gasp of emotion when she saw Roland, sitting on Little John's lap. The large man was bouncing his knee, imitating a horse as Roland sat on it, erupting in giggles. He was okay, even able to laugh despite undoubtedly missing his father. Her self hatred ate away at her as she caught herself disappointed that he didn't miss her. Roland was okay, happy with Little John and the Merry Men, and that was all that mattered.

Regina stepped behind one of the large oak trees, still hidden by the darkness of the camp's outskirts while she berated herself. How could she abandon her boys due to her own grief and then be surprised when they didn't miss her? She wasn't a good mother. A good mother would've never left them in the care of others in the first place. It was best that they were content where they were. _Without her._

Voices in a nearby tent brought her from her thoughts, causing her to turn her head to the side to listen closer. She recognized them being a few of the other Merry Men, discussing what happened and what seemed to Regina to be plans for the next day. Her heart sank, bile rising in her throat as she heard of the groups' plan to leave Storybrooke and return to their former home via a portal Emma had created for them at their request. By the next day Roland would be gone from her life forever, just as his father was.

A knot forming in Regina's throat at the memory caused her to swallow hard and refocus her thoughts. She tore her stare from Roland's blanket, deciding against going into the den where they'd spent so many happy moments as a family. No, that was yet another room in her home she wanted to avoid. Suddenly a muffled sound drew her attention from where she stood in the archway, wine in hand.

Her brow's pursed as she tilted her head to the side, trying to determine where it had come from. She set her bottle and glass down gently on the table in the foyer, quietly wandering around the large staircase towards where she thought the disturbance had happened. As she approached the hall near her office door she paused, listening carefully for any sign of an intruder. The opening and closing sound of a desk drawer made adrenaline rush through her body. Someone had gotten past her protection spell and into her home. _And they were about to regret it._

Rage bubbled within her instantaneously at the intrusion of her privacy, deep purple magic glowing from her hands without a conscious effort on her part to procure it. She brought her palms up, forcing the door open without physically touching it, making it rattle on the hinges as it flew back with gusto and she stepped in.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" She growled, eyes focusing in on the man standing behind her desk rummaging through her things. James stared back at her with a blank stare, obviously not expecting anyone to be home. He looked just like David but with a distinguishing darkness to his features. His hair and eyes were a shade deeper than his twin's and his clothing style was significantly different. There were a few more lines on his features than baby faced David's and a five o'clock shadow that made him look a few years older.

"So this is the Evil Queen's castle in Storybrooke?" He arched a brow a little, not showing any sign of fear which infuriated her even more. He dropped the papers on the desk he'd been going through before continuing, "Sorry your majesty, I didn't realize you were home," He added with a hint of a smirk.

"I asked what you were doing here?" She gritted through her teeth, stalking towards him like an animal about to devour her prey. He was the one she'd planned to take care of first to avenge Robin. She just didn't think it would be this easy to catch him. The thought brought a wicked grin to her features, which only caused his smirk to become more evident. _Idiot._

"You should really see what Cruella's done to your place down below," He stepped away from the desk, casually making his way around it as if he wasn't intimidated by her in the slightest, "I don't know you that well but something tells me your style is a bit more...refined than fake fur rugs and diamond chandeliers," His eyes scanned her body, making Regina all too aware that she was only wearing a sleek, thin nightie.

"Were you attempting to rob me?" She looked up at him when he came closer, hating the fact that she wasn't in heels, allowing him to tower over her. She almost laughed at how perfect it was that he would come here of all places; ideas of trapping him here and various methods of torture dancing in her mind, bringing her to life.

"To be fair, your house looks like the most likely in Storybrooke to have valuables in it and it has been dark for months now," James shrugged with an arrogance that made what she was about to do to him all the more satisfying. "I didn't realize you were hiding out like I've been. You should've called me, misery loves company, you know," His eyes traveled over her curves again, lust causing his eyes to darken a few shades.

"You have no idea how much I've considered paying you a visit," She grinned sadistically, raising her hand that was cupped in a choke hold position and causing James' expression to change rapidly. The fear that flashed on his face at her manic change of mood gave her a thrill beyond belief, making her feel the closest to pleasure she'd felt in months. She'd forgotten how satisfying it was to see the panic on someone's face when they realized their life was about to end.

Regina's hand blazed purple as she reached out to grip his neck with her magic, expecting to raise him off the ground with one swift motion and slam his body against the wall. To her surprise he stood still, as if her magic had no effect. He looked shocked for a moment before a relieved and then arrogant smile returned to his features. She glanced at her hand before back at him, rage bubbling to the surface.

"You know I just swiped this from Gold's thinking I could pawn it for money, but it looks like it's much more valuable than that," James pulled the black diamond from his pocket that sparkled with activation, twirling it in his fingers as Regina watched too angry and shocked to speak. He'd stolen a powerful magic gem from Rumple that gave him protection and dark magic while in his possession. It also must have been how he was able to get past her protection spell. _What else did he have up his sleeve?_

"You may have gotten off easy this time but that isn't real," Regina hissed, stepping up to face him with a menacing expression, "You're just a simple, powerless idiot like your brother. And when I catch you off guard, I'm going to make you wish you'd let me kill you today."

His eyes narrowed at the mention of David, "That's where you're wrong, Queen. I'm nothing like my brother, and you'd be wise to remember that," He reached a hand up between them, gripping her chin with his thumb and forefinger to lift her gaze, forcing her to meet his threatening glare. Before she could retaliate, he evaporated in a cloud of black smoke, leaving her vibrating with anger. Just like that, Regina found purpose to her life again; _to destroy James, if it were the last thing she would do._


	3. Chapter 3

_thank you for the feedback! so sorry it's taken me this long to follow up, i've had zero freetime lately it seems. i'm glad you all are interested in this idea. James and Regina are similar in so many ways, and i've never read any fics about them, so writing this feels very organic because i'm not influenced by an on screen ship or fanfiction. plus with the current state of the show, i want to address what regina must be feeling now dealing with the loss of robin. keep reviewing and let me know what you think! xoxo_

* * *

Regina blew into the sheriff's station with gusto, the wind from her magic blowing papers off of the desk as she stalked into Emma and David's office. She donned an all black entire of jeans and a leather jacket, dark eye makeup masking her puffy eyes that were narrowed in anger. Her movements were stealthy and her shoulders squared, anger vibrating within her.

The sheriff and deputy's eyes only widened as they gawked from their seats at their desks after having stopped in the middle of _whatever it was_ they did. Papers in the air fell to rest on the floor in disarray as Regina stomped carelessly over them on her way to David's desk. Regina noted the way they looked at her, like they did when Emma first arrived and the curse broke. They were intimidated, as if they were certain the Evil Queen was resurrected and had snuffed out any trace of the Regina they had come to know. _And who was she to deny them of their assumptions?_

"Where in the hell is your brother?" She hissed, pressing her hands on Charming's desk and leaning down to look him in the eyes.

"Regina, are you okay? We haven't seen you in months-" Emma cut on from behind her, causing the brunette to straighten and roll her eyes.

"Did I address you, Miss Swan?" Regina bit out with a sarcastic raise of her eyebrow when she cocked her head sideways at the blonde. Emma's lips pursed instantly, a frown drawing her thin brows together.

"I didn't think so," Regina gave a fake smile before turning back to look at David. "You heard me Charming, where is that piece of trash you call a brother hiding out?"

"What do you want with James?" David frowned in response, sitting up straighter in his chair as if he were preparing himself for Regina to squash him like a bug.

"I caught him robbing my home," She glared, "No one comes into my home! Now I'll ask you one more time, where is he?" Her voice was clipped, though the volume was elevated in sincerity.

"He's been staying at Zelena's farmhouse," He said after a moment's hesitation as instant doubt shown in his expression at telling her.

"Regina," Emma's voice was cautious as she stood up from her own desk and approached them, "Whatever you're planning for James, let us handle it. We're the law in this town and we can't allow you to hurt someone. If he stole from you, we'll lock him up."

"Lock him up?" Regina spat back at her with a bitter laugh, "Why would you imbeciles let him stay in the first place? You hate him, David. Why was he allowed to stick around when we all came back? Have you both forgotten what he did down there, how he got here?" Her voice faltered with the last sentence, making her angry at herself for the hint of vulnerability she displayed.

David and Emma exchanged a glance as if they were starting to understand exactly why Regina was out for James. David reached his hands out towards Regina in a calming manner, "I understand you blame him for Robin's death Regina, but I confronted him myself. He didn't know that's how Hades would pay him back for helping him. I know that doesn't make him blameless, but I couldn't end his life or lock him up for it. That's why I told him to stay away from everyone in this town, and he has been laying low..."

"Until now it seems," Emma let out a breath, looking at Regina with an expression that begged her to think rationally, "Which is exactly why we'll take care of this. We can lock him up for something he is guilty of, and you won't have blood on your hands..."

Regina swallowed the anger, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at them both, "So this is what Robin's life meant to you? We risked everyone's safety going to the Underworld to get Hook back and Robin died because of it. And now you're just going on with your lives as if nothing happened? And refuse to let me avenge his death," She clenched her fists, struggling with the inner voice that told her to blast them both against the wall with her magic.

"We're trying to save you from doing something rash, Regina," Emma replied firmly, locking eyes with her. The Evil Queen boiled inside of the mayor's body, anger and hurt twisting and clawing to come to the surface. Of course Emma would try to stand in her way; they all would with their self righteous hero complexes. The Charmings' and Swan both thought they knew what Regina was going through, but they didn't. They'd come close to losing the ones they loved, but they never actually did. Snow and David always found each other and Hook came back from the Underworld with Emma. _They had no idea._

"You think this is rash?" She gritted, "I've been alone for three months fantasizing about how I could rip James' heart out and torture him mercilessly until I was finished. This is not a sudden decision, it's whats kept me going for weeks now. I am going to end him," A demonic smile graced her lips as she watched their expressions fill with dread, "I'm not the one who needs saving Swan, but you all will if you stand in my way."

* * *

Emma and David stood in silence for a long moment after Regina vanished in a cloud of purple smoke, looking at each other with a sense of impending doom. She understood Regina's anger and hurt, she'd felt a hint of it when she thought Hook was gone forever. But this was different, Robin was actually gone, and she couldn't imagine the heart break her friend was going through.

"Dad, if she turns evil again I'm afraid she'll never come back," Emma looked at her father whose eyes reflected her own worry, "What do you think she's going to do?"

"I don't know," He frowned, grabbing his gun belt from his desk and putting it on with haste, "But I've seen what she's capable of, and right now James is not safe."

"Is that such a bad thing, though?" Emma bit her lip, seeing David look up at her incredulously, "Hear me out. James tried to kill you, and he can't be trusted. If we just looked the other way this once...and let Regina get her revenge, you wouldn't have to keep looking over your shoulder for him and she may be able to start healing..."

"Emma we can't stand by and let her kill someone, even if it would be for the greater good. It could send her spiraling into self destruction even more so than she is now," David frowned, letting out a frustrated breath, "Besides, he's my brother...Even if he can't be trusted..." He shrugged, looking down to finish clasping his gun belt.

"I get it," Emma frowned to herself as she begrudgingly understood David's sense of duty. Her estranged uncle wasn't a good person, but he was still family. He'd been obeying David's orders to stay away from the people of this town until now. He at least deserved to tell his side of the story.

"We should get to him before Regina does. Otherwise we'll have nothing but ashes to put in a jail cell," He glanced at her with his lips pursed as if he knew this wasn't going to be an easy task. Emma, however, was already well aware of that.

* * *

The old farm house was dark save for a few dim lights on the main floor, making the small home glow softly from the outside. Regina had transported herself to the land nearly an hour outside of Storybrooke in just a few seconds, walking stealthily around the parameter. She stopped near the living room window, raising up on her toes to get a better look at the activity inside. A cat-like smile graced her lips when she saw James down a glass of liquor before unceremoniously sliding it onto the end table beside his chair where he sat.

He looked to be half drunk by now, lounging back in the chair, though he didn't seemed relaxed. The leather jacket he'd worn in her home was thrown across the coffee table, the black tee shirt he was wearing exposing tattoos on his upper arms that she wasn't aware he had. _He probably didn't have much else to do in Underbrooke than sit at an ink parlor_ , she mused with a roll of her eyes.

James leaned back in his chair as she watched him like a animal stalking it's prey with hungry eyes. Cold chills ran up her spine at the anticipation of tearing him apart, making him suffer to his very end. He drew a cigarette from the pack laying on the end table near him, casually lighting it with a flip lighter before discarding that to the side carelessly. Her heart beat a little faster at the thrill of watching him while he was so unaware of the pain he was about to endure.

James took a long drag from the cigarette in his hand, causing the cherry to glow against the chiseled angles of his face. A large cloud of smoke blew from his lungs upon his exhale, hiding his face from Regina's view for a few moments as it dissipated in the air around him. When it cleared enough to make him visible again her breath caught in her throat. He was staring at her with a dark expression, eyes locked with hers as if he'd known she was there the entire time. Regina slipped back from the window into the shadows of the dark quickly, hating that she let herself be caught off guard by him. She was the Evil Queen, she didn't shrink away from a challenge. If he was foolish enough to stand up to her, she'd give him what he deserved.

Her eyes narrowed in irritation as she peered around into the window again, ready to challenge him. Instead of seeing him, there was merely wisps of black clouds remaining in the chair where he sat. Determination flooded her veins at the idea of him trying to avoid her. She began rolling up her sleeves as she stepped from the corner of the home, preparing herself for to attack.

"Looking for me, Your Majesty?" A gravelly voice startled her from the darkness of the outside as James appeared before her with a hint of a smirk on his face, "I knew you couldn't resist my offer."

"There you are," She reflected his own half smirk, flexing her wrist casually as they stood before one another, "Just when I thought your brother was the stupid one. I see it runs in the family..." Regina chuckled at him practically placing himself on a platter, offering himself to her by giving her a chance to get close.

"I take it you're here for one of two things, Queen," James eyed her, his gaze scanning her entire body, lingering longer near her hips and chest before reaching her face again, "To kill me or fuck me. I prefer the latter, just so you know," His white teeth came to view behind his smile, though his eyes remained dark and heated, proving his suggestion was not just a joke.

Regina arched an eyebrow at his bluntness before snarling, "You have no idea who you're dealing with." She raised her hands abruptly, deep purple energy shooting from her palms towards him. The magic hit his chest with a thud, tossing him like he weighed nothing and pinning him against the outside of the farmhouse. He wheezed, gasping for the air that had been knocked out of his chest as he looked up at her with eyes glistening in anger.

"Nice try," He grumbled when he finally caught his breath, clenching his fists that were pinned beside his body against the home. Regina felt her own magic begin to shake and falter as it poured from her palms to keep him where he was. She kept her hands outstretched, forcing more of her magic as her eyes shifted down to see the purple electricity sparking while James struggled against it as he summoned his own dark magic, procured from the black gem of Rumple's he possessed.

James' mouth turned upwards in a demonic grin as his body tensed, his own hands beginning to glow as he freed them from the lock of her magic. He thrust them forward, causing her magic to lose it's power against his own as he returned the bolt of energy towards her, thrusting her backwards to land on her back.

His feet hit the ground when his body's elevated position was released from her hold, stalking towards Regina as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. He advanced towards her rapidly, causing her to scoot back with her legs, leaning back on her hands as he came to stand practically over top of her.

"If that's all you have, Your Majesty, why don't you save us both the wasted time and follow me inside for some real fun?" James smirked as he held his hand up over her, turning it from side to side as he inspected his powerful limb in awe of it's new capabilities. Regina gritted her teeth, seething at the fact he'd gotten the best of her. She pushed herself from the ground, prepared to lunge at him in an attack as he once again disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

The pain in her back from the fall fueled her anger as she scanned the house in front of her. _So he wanted a chase?_ That was fine, she actually preferred it, as it made the kill all the more satisfying. The dark magic he possessed may be more powerful than her own, but hers was real, not borrowed from Rumple. Regina knew how to handle her magic, she'd lived with it for years, had been trained by the most powerful sorcerer there was. James was new to the power and hadn't had enough time to learn how to use it and that was what Regina planned to use to her advantage.

With the flick of her wrist she transported herself inside his home behind the front door, her jaw tense with an animalistic desire to kill as she scanned the bottom floor for any sign of him. She reveled in the feeling as she crept silently towards the kitchen to begin her search. It was a sick, twisted game she was playing, but it was the first time she'd felt truly alive in months. She'd been stifling this side of herself since Robin's death, afraid to let the Evil Queen out to play for fear she'd never get her back in. But no one was here to witness this, besides her victim, and he wouldn't live to tell of it. After she was done with him Robin's death would be avenged and she could be at peace. _At least that was she was telling herself._

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Regina called out with a wicked grin. She trailed the counter-top with her fingertips on her way through the small kitchen, leaving scorched burn marks on the wooden surface. It felt like such sweet relief to give into her destructive side and let out the dark feelings she'd been suppressing. Her body was practically humming with excitement.

"Have a drink, Queen," She heard him respond from the other room, out of sight to her. A whiskey glass slid from the other end of the kitchen table beside her, falling into the floor and shattering in front of her feet, "Now now, that's no way to treat my things," She heard him add mockingly at the sound. Regina crunched over the shards with her heels, smirking to herself. At least he had a sense of humor during his final moments before he was cast back to the Underworld.

His voice sounded like it came from the living room, prompting her to continue to the archway that connected it to the kitchen. She heard his footsteps before transporting herself suddenly to take him by surprise. Once again she was greeted by an empty room, "You're testing my patience," She gritted out, flicking a few fingers in the air, knocking the pictures off of the wall and swiping the vase from the mantle of the fireplace.

"Come upstairs and I'll test something else of yours," He suggested, the nearness of his voice causing her to spin around, bringing her attention to where he was stood at the bottom of the staircase. Her eyes narrowed as she brought her hand up and shot a fireball in his direction, burning a hole through the wall behind him when he shot up the steps with movements accelerated by his dark magic. _The chase was on._

Regina transported herself directly above where she stood to the second story, greeting him face to face with a sardonic smile. He stopped abruptly in his tracks before taking a blow of her magic to his stomach, causing him to stumble backwards, half falling against the wall behind him. James grimaced in pain, causing butterflies to flutter in her stomach and euphoria bubble within her.

She advanced on him quickly, nearly reaching him before her body was seized by his own magic. His magnetic force pulled her body against his, causing them to come face to face and chest to chest. Regina reached for his neck, gripping it with her magic as she stared into his eyes, cutting off his air. James only smirked as he reached under one of her arms and up her back, grasping a hand full of her hair roughly pulling her head back.

"Killing me won't make him come back," He choked out as they struggled against one another's grip, "Hades gave me his life...and gave Robin my death...which means if you kill me...his life is gone for good...and there'd be no getting him back then."

Regina squeezed his neck harder at his words, though they hit her like a blow to the stomach. Smoke started to billow up the stairs from the fireball she'd put in the wall moments ago catching and spreading. Between the polluted air and the million thoughts that ran through her mind, her focus faltered for a moment before anger shook her again, bringing her back to her task.

"You're lying!" She hissed, forming another fireball and grasping his wrist that held her hair, causing him to curse out loud as she burnt him. He released his grip, causing them both to stumble apart, "You're just trying to save yourself," She brought another fireball up in her palm, hurling it at his head. James ducked, allowing the fireball to land in the bedroom behind him and spread over the rug rapidly.

"What if I'm not?" James taunted, breaking one of the stair railings with his unrefined magic and sending it spiraling towards her, missing her by a few inches. The smoke became thicker in the upstairs, flames traveling up the old, paper thin walls of the farmhouse and causing pictures and light fixtures to start falling above their heads.

Regina watched him struggle for his breath, which couldn't of been an easy task after he'd been choked and then gasped in smoke. If Hades had merely switched Robin's life for James' death, then maybe it could be reversed? As much as she wanted to kill him right now, if there was a chance she could get Robin's life back to him, she couldn't risk it. No matter how satisfying seeing James' take his last, pitiful breath may be.

"What do you say, Queen?" James struggled to speak, dodging a falling piece of the ceiling while she stood stoically, "Should we go back to your place?" He mocked, though his offer for them to call a truce for now and escape the burning home was a serious one.

She felt her own chest begin to constrict from the flames and smoke, causing her to cough, "This isn't over," She warned, bringing her hand up in an attempt to transport them, but she was too weak. The smoke inhalation had affected her more than she knew, as she began to realize how stupid they both were for caring more about destroying each other than getting out of the burning house.

James seemed to notice her inability to transport them, and she knew he was past the point of being able to himself, "The ladder," He said, grabbing her arm as they both ducked to miss falling debri, running down the upstairs hall to the smaller, ladder staircase that would lead them back to the downstairs foyer. The ceiling was beginning to fall in places, the smoke becoming so thick they could barely see. Regina followed him without question at this point, her own survival being more important than killing him in the moment.

They skidded to a stop near the top, James stepping down on the first rung and going down a few steps before looking up at her, motioning with his hand to help her on it, "Come on!" He beckoned, helping her onto the ladder and assisting her down it as they sloppily reached the bottom, half falling from their consciousness slipping in an out due to the lack of oxygen. They fell in a heap as their movements started to become a blur for Regina. She heard him say something about the back door, though her last images were of him struggling against their decreasing strength, proving he was in just a dire of a condition as she. She felt her legs give out from underneath her as the sound of yelling outside became fainter and fainter...and then, darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

_i gotta admit, it is so fun being able to write regina in all of her hateful-ass glory with someone who can match it. it's good for me, is it good for you? ;) xoxo_

* * *

Regina came to with her heartbeat pounding in her head, groaning at the pain and coughing at the tightness in her chest. Her mind was cloudy as her eyes opened, wincing at the bright light of her unknown surroundings. Her body ached from what she could only assume was a combination of her fight with James and this hard surface she'd been on for god knows how many hours. When her eyes adjusted she saw nothing but concrete and metal, confusing her further. It took her a few moments before registering where she was before pushing herself to sit up abruptly.

"What the hell?" She frowned, finding herself in the sheriff station jail cell. Her eyes widened when she saw James in the cell opposite her, sitting on the bed and facing her with a bemused expression.

"Morning," He raised an eyebrow, looking none too fresh himself with tired eyes and longer scruff than usual.

"What are we doing in here?" Regina felt instant rage, bringing her hand up with intent to knock the door from her cell before her mouth gaped, "Who the fuck put this on me?!" She nearly screamed, seeing the cuff on her wrist prohibiting her magic.

"My guess is the same people who found us, brought us back here and stole my black diamond," He sighed casually, crossing his arms as he stretched his legs out on his jail cot. He'd obviously woken up a good bit before her with time to process their situation and was going to delight in watching her catch up.

"The Charmings," Regina glared, jumping up from her bed in her disheveled clothing and gripping the rails of the cell.

"The Heroes locked us up? Who would've guessed," James mocked, leaning his head back against he wall, "They're the only ones stupid enough not to let us both go out in a blaze of glory with the farmhouse. Would've saved them the trouble of dragging us back here."

Regina scoffed, hugging her arms and pacing her cell in irritation, "They told me not to come after you, said that they couldn't let me kill you. What do they care? Charming can't stand you, nobody can. You would be missed by no one."

"Because you're such a ray of sunshine," James smiled fakely at her when she threw daggers at him, "Exactly who in this town are you on good terms with? When was the last time you saw your son?"

"Don't you dare!" She growled, marching over to the bars that separated their cells to get as close to him as she could, "Don't you dare bring Henry into this. You have no idea of my life right now."

"Good morning," Emma's voice interrupted Regina's tense stare down of James, coming into the station followed by David and Snow, "I see the near death experience did nothing to stop you two from living to fight another day."

"You!" Regina roared, turning to the cell wall to face them all, "Let me out at once and take this trap off of me before I manage to myself! And let me promise you when I do it won't be pretty!" She raised her wrist in pure outrage, causing James to chuckle from his own cell at her theatrics. David and Snow exchanged exasperated looks, undoubtedly considering the difficult days ahead of them spent trying to diffuse the two big personalities in the jail cells from clashing with each other.

"We're sorry, Regina, we really are," David pursed his lips, standing in front of her with a safe distance between him and her cell, "But you went to my brother's house with criminal intent last night."

"Oh, I'm your brother now? Not the outcast?" James perked up with a smirk from his relaxed position on his cot, earning an eye roll from Regina, Emma and Snow alike.

"...Like I said, we know what you went there to do and we have to treat you like anybody else in this town would be treated had they done the same thing," David ignored his twin while he tried to reason with the mayor, though she was vibrating with fury by now, "Regina...it was attempted murder," He stepped up, whispering more quietly with wide eyes pleading for her to understand.

"And just how long do you intend to keep me here for my crimes?" Regina snarled a bitter smile at the three Charmings who all stared back at her with a mixture of disappointment and pity. _Judgmental bastards._

"Until you calm down," Snow intervened, stepping somewhat closer to David's side and looping her arm around his in the sickly supportive way that they always did, "This is for your own good, we're just trying to help you."

"Help me?" The Mayor gave a throaty laugh, tilting her head back before shaking it from side to side in disbelief, "Is that what you call it? Well thank you _so much_ for all of your help Charmings. Please, let me know what I can do to pay you back for your kindness. You know, like the _next_ time you need someone to save one of you, maybe I can just sacrifice myself instead of someone I love so you all can continue living happily ever after," She eyed them all malevolently, seeing the guilt flicker across each of their features and echo throughout their body language.

By this time James had hopped up from his cot, sauntering over to the door of his cell and propping his arms above his head on the rails, "Not to interrupt, but can anybody tell me why I'm locked up, too? I'm the victim here," He mocked innocence.

"How about for stealing?" Emma piped in, shoving her hands in her back pockets as if she were bored with the situation already, "Yeah, we know all about that," She added with a grim smile.

"Oh, yeah," James raised an eyebrow as if he only just remembered, "Damn, sorry, please continue your rant, _Your Majesty_ ," He added, bowing to Regina dramatically upon his return to his cot, earning a glare from her.

"We're gonna give you two a couple days in here together, until you can come to some sort of truce and agree not to kill each other," David let out a breath, picking up the jail cell keys as he pressed a hand to Snow's back to turn and leave, with Emma following them. Their intent was clear and their holier than thou hero complexes were in full force. Regina and James were to remain in this close proximity until they resolved their issues or managed to somehow kill each other through their cages.

"Looks like it's just me and you, _Queen_."

* * *

The light in the jail cells began to dim as the sun went down, both of the prisoners tired from bickering back and forth for the remainder of the day. Granny came to deliver food with a side of disdain for their disorderly conduct, but Regina had no appetite. Her emotions swirled inside of her; anger, hurt, bitterness, resentment and loneliness. They chipped away at her sanity, heightening her anxiety and making it harder and harder to keep it together.

"You gonna eat that?" James asked, eyeing her left over garlic bread after she'd picked over her plate. She rolled her eyes up at him incredulously from her perch on her cot, annoyed that he would even attempt to speak with her.

"No, but I still wouldn't give it to you," She smiled fakely at him, licking her finger and shoving it into the piece of bread spitefully.

"Hm... that was kind of hot," He raised a brow, smirking back at her which irritated her even more, making her shoulders square and spine prickle. Her temper got the best of her as she hastily picked up the piece of bread, lodging it through the cell bars and smacking him in the arm before it rolled onto the floor.

"Now that was just rude," He sighed, moving his own food tray from his lap before stretching his legs out on the cot, "You know if anyone should get along in this town it should be you and me. We have the most in common; Both villains, both devastatingly good looking and both wronged by the same people."

"I have nothing in common with you," Regina snarled, kicking off her heeled boots and crossing her legs, pulling the crude blanket over her lap in an attempt to get comfortable, "And the fact that you're not even smart enough to know why I hate you proves my point."

"I know why you hate me," James shrugged, folding his arms behind his head in a way that annoyingly showcased his biceps, "Because you think I'm responsible for taking your _soulmates_ life. I had no clue what Hades was gonna do, he just said he would help me. And I don't know if you noticed what my life was like down there, but I was a little desperate. The whiskey is shit and Cruella was getting to be a stage five clinger."

Regina rolled her eyes at his comment, too tired and numb to berate him any more for that day, "Is it true what you said? Hades just traded your death for Robin's life and that it can be reversed?" She asked, her voice eerily level as she avoided eye contact with him.

"What do you have another sister for Robin to come back and sleep with?" He asked bluntly, getting her attention as the dark glint came back to her eyes that were now focused on him once more, "Do you like being fed full of lies and then betrayed? Is that what gets you off?" James prodded her, trying to provoke her into another fight rather than answering her question.

"Robin was a good man," She hissed, leaning her head back against the wall and hiding her face in the shadow that was now cast partially over her cell from the decreasing daylight, "Something you know nothing about."

"Maybe not, but I do know that if he said he chose you, he shouldn't have fucked someone else a month later," James shrugged, internally disappointed that she wasn't taking the bait. For some reason he'd rather her lash out at him than be in the current dejected state she was in. "Some soulmate that is."

"Don't talk to me like you know about my relationship," Regina gritted out, her face hidden from him but her voice dangerously low.

"I know a good bit. I mean what else do the dead have to do but revel in the misery of the living? It was the town gossip for weeks," James fished his cigarettes out of his pocket, deftly slipping one out and lighting it as he spoke, "What I don't get is why you would fight so hard for a man that was unfaithful to you. You're like me, strong and prideful, a hell of a grudge holder when anyone wrongs you. Yet you're sulking and self destructing over a bastard who caused you nothing but grief for the past year by knocking your sister up and not having the balls to stand up to her."

"We had our ups and downs but I loved him," She replied, not quite sure why she was feeding into the conversation. Though speaking with James felt like an audible version of the conversation she had had in her mind a million times; arguing with her doubts, hating and defending Robin for his actions simultaneously. James wasn't saying anything she hadn't thought about before in her dark moments.

"So basically you settled for that treatment because you thought you couldn't do any better," James took a drag, the cherry glow illuminating his face in the now near darkness of their cells, "Or was it that you thought it's what you deserved? To watch the man you loved betray you and share an experience with your sister that you'll never have. Was that your karma for all the shit you did in your past?"

Regina clenched the blanket in her hands as James' words sank to the pit of her stomach, "You should know better than I do villains don't get happy endings," She smiled bitterly in the darkness, "Look at your pathetic life. Your parents sold you like a farm animal while keeping their favorite son. You endured all of those years under your tyrannical ruler of a father and for what? To fail in a battle and have your simple brother get everything you ever worked for?"

"Sad little tale when you tell it that way, isn't it?" James retorted, seemingly unmoved by her barbs back at him.

"Indeed," She replied in disinterest, "So was that entire conversation just to rile me up or deflect from the fact that you don't want to answer my question?"

"Both," James lost all smugness to his expression, an almost hesitant expression flickering across his chiseled features before they turned stone cold, "I only suggested that what happened with Robin and me could be reversed so you wouldn't kill me on the spot last night. Swapping death for life is final, I watched Hades do it many times down there. When Hades intentionally exchanges a life for a death, it makes the recipient of the death's outcome irreversible. My death was from a mortal, it can be changed. A death given to you by Hades cannot."

Regina bit down on her lip angrily, tasting the metallic flavor of blood she unintentionally drew, "How does it feel, stealing a man's life that you don't deserve? You'll never be half the man Robin was," She spat out, her nails digging into her palms as she clenched her fists harder, a tear spilling from her eye and rolling down her cheek.

"Like I said, I didn't know it was going to happen," James replied, his voice edgy as if he were trying to defend himself to her, "I didn't set out to ruin your life, your majesty, and even though I guess I did, I'll be damned before I let you send me back down there."

His tone was firm and his body tense as she watched him from her shadow in the dim light. He stubbed his cigarette out on the brick wall before gripping the neck of his tshirt and bringing it over his head, appearing to prepare for sleep. She couldn't quite figure out why he'd deflected from telling her that Robin would never be coming back. It almost seemed like he was trying to spare her additional pain, but that theory was contradicted by the vile things he said in order to do so. She settled for the conclusion that perhaps he was just as twisted in his approach as she, for she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't have used the same tactics.

"We'll see about that."


	5. Chapter 5

_i hope you all are still reading this and that more become interested...because it's so fun for me to write. let me know what you're thinkin! xoxo_

* * *

"You're worrying about Regina again," David came up behind Snow in the kitchen, seeing her hesitating over a bowl of apple slices. She was holding Regina's turnover recipe she'd hand written for Snow so she would stop bugging her for the ingredient list every other Sunday dinner. Regina had become a part of their family and had been family to Snow for years, _as dysfunctional as they may have been._ He knew his wife was taking her former step-mother's absence in their lives harder than she'd admit.

Since Snow was young and for years since, she'd wanted Regina to let go of the past and for them to be cordial once more. Her hopeful heart never allowed her to fully give up on the Mayor, even when David had wanted to. As frustrating as it was at times, he understood. Snow had lost both of her parents at a young age and Regina had been in her life for a solid amount of time before it all went down hill. To get her relationship with Regina back in the past couple of years only to lose it again was hard for her to process.

"I just don't want to see her backtrack," Snow's wide, worried eyes looked up at him when she turned her head at his presence, "She's come so far, you and I have seen proof of that more than anyone...and for her to go through it all again, to lose someone she loves," She bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears and she struggled to speak, "It's terrible David, and what makes it worse is that she won't let anyone be there for her."

"Hey," David cupped Snow's face, rubbing his thumb over her cheek gently, "After everything we've been through with her, you know we can't do anything but let Regina get this out of her system. She's stubborn and the harder we try to calm her down or talk sense into her, the more she's going to push against it. The best we can do is to try to keep her and everyone safe while she make sense of her heartbreak."

"Even your brother?" Snow let out a breath, leaning back against the kitchen counter as she watched David drop his hands from her and roll his eyes at the thought.

"Yeah, I suppose _even_ him," He ran a hand through his hair before crossing his arms, stepping back against the kitchen island opposite of Snow, "We sure have our hands full with our family, don't we?"

"So you're considering him family again?" She began to prod, noticing how he'd let James off rather easily. His twin had been waiting to get his revenge on David for years, yet now that David had the upper hand to do away with James, he still hadn't used it.

"Please," David scoffed, his brows furrowing together at Snow's suggestion, "Just because I'm not letting him die doesn't mean I want anything to do with him."

"You're protecting him," Snow raised an eyebrow at David's defiant demeanor, seeing through the facade to the internal struggle he was carrying. She knew her husband was at war with himself on how to handle his twin. The hero in David wanted to give him a second chance and include James in their lives. The realist in him made him aware that James wanted no part of their family and would stab him in the back the moment he was least expecting it.

"No, not protecting him, containing him," Her husband's frown grew firmer as he nodded once, as if he were telling himself more than her, "For his acts of thievery. We can't hold a trial or punish him for his crimes if Regina had gotten to him first."

* * *

Regina groaned a little at the heat, finally giving into the temptation to peel her silky button up over her head, leaving nothing but her fitted camisole and black jeans. She'd already chucked off her boots yesterday and now desperately wished she had a hair tie. The sheriff's station was air conditioned, but the outdated building stood no chance against Storybrooke's summer heat, not to mention the sun beating down on them through her cell window.

"What are you staring at?" She snapped at James when she glanced up to see him eyeing her with a smug smirk. He hadn't put his shirt back on since the night before and she avoided looking at him, lest he think she actually found him attractive.

"I bet you're a wildcat in the bedroom," James replied without hesitation, staying true to his nature. If his bluntness weren't directed at Regina she may have appreciated it. She hated people who abided by useless, societal notions of manners and morals. Those people usually never meant what they said and were just as corrupt as she was, but they covered it better. It was society's immoral outcasts like she and James who told the truth more than anyone, politeness be damned.

"It's nice to see that you still have dreams, James," Regina dead panned with a roll of her eyes. She was far from even considering intimacy with another person, but it did feel nice to be noticed. The last months before Robin's death were tense and stressful, and the once vivid sexual chemistry between them had lost it's spark throughout the Zelena drama. To be honest, their sex life never the same after he came back from New York.

"More like goals," He corrected her with a shrug of his broad shoulders and a grin on his lips. James could tell she has been avoiding eye contact and there was a certain flush to her face that he swore was not just from the heat. She was wound tightly; he could practically see the sexual tension radiating from her squared shoulders and stiff neck.

She gave a humorless chuckle, though their bickering gave her more entertainment than she'd care to admit. It was nice to have someone around who could keep up with her wit for once. "I know you got yourself killed but I didn't realize how poor your sense of survival really was."

"What are you going to do to me, Queen? Give me a dirty look from your cot? Oh, how the mighty have fallen," James watched her like an amused child would a wild animal in a cage. He didn't know why he got such satisfaction from riling her up. It was the same adrenaline rush that coursed through him and got his blood pumping during a sword fight. The thrill of playing with danger was too much for him to resist, and Regina was the razor sharp, opposing sword.

"Says the prince who lost his place in line for the throne to his idiot farmer brother," Regina muttered with an eye roll as she leaned back against the cold stone of the wall behind her cot, trying to cool herself down as much as possible. She didn't know much about James' past other than the fact his parents had sold him to King George, and she _sure did_ know George.

David's evil twin flashed her an irritated glance at the mention of his past. He didn't like when she turned the tables on him; his past was his own business, "I guess my story isn't as famous as your epic saga with Snow White, but at least I still have my pride in the end. It's a shame the way you've cowered to the heroes."

"I didn't have a choice," Regina's eyes shot up at him, her voice sharp and defensive, "When Emma came back for Henry making good with the Charmings was the only way I could still be in his life."

"You're more powerful than all of them put together. David and Snow are idiots, and Emma's untrained power never stood a chance against your dark magic," James scoffed at the thought, "You should've just taken Henry and to hell with the rest of them. You raised the kid, you were his mother, blood doesn't change anything."

The way James spoke of Regina's power and the fact that he tended to favor her side of history chipped away at her anger towards him. He had an odd way about him; his honesty didn't waiver, regardless of the topic. Even when what he was saying could be considered complimentary to her, he said it anyways because that's _what he thought._

"So if your real parents would've come to take you back from King George, you wouldn't have wanted to go?" Regina couldn't help but play devil's advocate, though she changed her tone to one of curiosity rather than challenge. She wasn't asking this question to barb him, she was actually curious to hear his input, "Even with how tyrannical George was?"

She watched him as he processed her words, the lines between his brows becoming more prominent in thought. His method was rather transparent upon his features; she watched as he contemplated what she said and reached his conclusion. She was sure he had already considered his scenario before, but the way he still paused to calculate his wording proved to her he was a much deeper thinker than he let on to be.

"No, my birth parents lost that right when they gave me up," James gave a shrug as his eyes met hers in a more serious nature, "George was a hardass, I'll give him that, but he thought he was doing what was best for me and the kingdom in his own way. And no matter how big of a bastard he was, he was my father."

Regina let out a bitter, half chuckle as she nodded in agreement to the sentiment, "As much as you hate it, a little part of you can always see where they're coming from. That's what made me want to change; when I realized I was doing the same thing to Henry that my mother did to me."

"Hm that's right, Cora," James' right eyebrow arched lazily in slight amusement as he realized he and Regina's upbringings were more similar than he'd imagined, "Look how long it took you to stand up to her. Because a little part of you always wanted her to approve and be proud of you, so you held out, let her bend you to her will."

Her eyes were now locked with his as he spoke, somewhat surprised at just how intuitive he was for someone who seemed so carefree. He'd longed for acceptance from George just as she had Cora. Regardless of how detestable their parents were, they both had felt the desire to meet their expectations. They knew the loneliness that followed after disappointing the person they looked up to the most as a child, no matter how hard they tried to make them proud.

She considered his statement for a moment before replying, "You didn't seem to mind who George wanted you to be. In fact, from everything I heard you rather enjoyed it."

James made a scoffing noise under his breath at her sudden shift of tone. He knew she'd felt the connection they shared with the similarities of their past and was now trying to stir him up and recreate the animosity between them. "You know just as well as I do that there's only so much pushing and prodding you can take before you finally transform into what they want you to be."

Regina's jaw tensed, flashbacks of her past creeping up inside of her. His words rang true, knowing all too well what he meant. She'd resisted her mother in every way for years growing up, had sworn she'd never be anything like her and in the end became her. People like Cora and George were master manipulators, playing mind games while perfecting the trap to catch you in when you were at your weakest.

Cora had worn Regina down; abused her spirit and captured her at her lowest point. Once Daniel had died, Regina had felt she had nothing to live for. She didn't have the strength to keep trying to do the right thing or go against her mother; it had gotten her nothing but heartbreak. So she accepted it; she became what her mother wanted her to be and for the first time she'd gained Cora's acceptance.

She grit her teeth, steeling her emotions as she shared more than she intended to, "When my mother killed my fiance, I broke. I became the person she designed...it's what she had been waiting for my whole life, to break my spirit and have full control. I hate myself for playing into her game."

"You shouldn't," James let out a breath, leaning his head back against the wall and staring up at the ceiling of his gray jail cell, "I gave into my father's dark ways at a much younger age. 'Course I don't think I was all that pure to begin with. Maybe that's why my parents sold me instead of David? They knew I was damaged good," He smirked half-heartedly.

"Please," Regina rolled her eyes, lying down on her back on the cot to try to find a more comfortable position when her bottom started going numb, "Evil isn't born, it's made, but don't let me interrupt your pity party."

"Bitch," James replied, though she could hear the amusement in his tone, "The pity parties are the best part of being a villain."

"Call me a name one more time and I'll show you the best part of being a villain once this cuff is off," She retorted, resting her arm over her face to block out the sunlight, "Wonder when the Charmings will be back? We'd better act as if we're getting along so they'll let us out of our cages."

"Aren't we getting along?"

"I suppose, but I still plan on killing you." This time it was Regina with the hint of humor in her tone, though James knew she was probably serious. Her sheer delight in taunting him with ending his life was so twisted it even amused him.

"What a shame, Queen. We could be quite a team."

* * *

Henry made his way down the stairs of his biological mother's home, finding her in the kitchen as he set his backpack down on the table to grab breakfast. He could already tell by the way she stared at him from the stove that she was about to badger him with conversation. Trouble was he didn't feel like talking.

"Morning, kid," Emma raised an eyebrow at her son avoiding her gaze, watching him go over to get a glass from the cabinet and pour himself some juice. He wasn't the same since Regina had secluded herself and she knew he took it as rejection. Her heart hurt for her son, knowing the pain of feeling unwanted by someone.

"Morning," He mumbled his reply, trying to keep the chatter to a minimum as he sat down at the counter, "Thanks," He added when she slid the plate of pancakes his way.

"Welcome...?" Emma raised an eyebrow at his grumpiness while he attempted to keep his focus on his food and began to eat, "We're gonna let your mom out today..." She added, hoping this would spark some type of emotion or exchange between them. It was unsettling to see the most optimistic person she knew being so negative.

"You are?" Henry's gaze met hers at the news and she saw the look of relief on his face that he was attempting to mask with indifference, "Oh...that's cool, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess..." She eyed him as she flipped the stove top off, throwing the dish towel over her shoulder and leaning on the counter, "Look kid, apparently your Grandpa went there this morning to take them breakfast and your mom is acting a lot better. This isn't going to be forever, she's just grieving and going through some things."

"It still isn't right, what happened to her," Henry's jaw tensed as he looked back at her with an expression of sheer bullheadedness. It was moments like this that reminded Emma of just how much of Regina's personality he inherited, "Even if she gets over it, it won't change what happened."

"No, it won't," Swan pursed her lips, her irritation growing with Regina that Henry was carrying this on his shoulders. Still, she understood why Regina needed to be alone. If she were in her shoes she'd probably have done the same. "But your mom is strong, she'll get through this. She just needs time to grieve."

"I get that," Henry frowned, glancing towards the window when he heard the school bus pull up in front of the house, "But something still needs to be done," He added determinedly, grabbing his backpack.

Emma frowned, not quite knowing what he meant, "Uh, goodbye?!" She called out after him as he stalked towards the front door.

"Bye."

* * *

"All right, looks like you two haven't killed each other," David called out as he strolled into the sheriff's station, dangling the keys to their jail cells as he approached them, "Up and at 'em. Grab your belongings please."

"What's this?" James gripped the edge of the cot on both sides of his legs, leaning forward on his arms as he placed his feet on the floor, "Have we earned our freedom?" He mocked with fake thankfulness as he came to stand.

"It's about time," Regina grumbled, standing up and slipping her feet back into her shoes. All she wanted to do was go home, shower, and be alone with her thoughts These past couple of days had derailed her mission and disrupted her mindset, "I feel disgusting."

"You don't look it," Her nemesis quipped from his own cell, visibly overconfident now that he thought he was getting off of the hook, leaning his strong arms on the bars that separated their cells, "I'm gonna miss you," He taunted, giving her a twisted grin when she threw a disgusted look his way.

"Shut up," She snapped at him, shrugging on her button up shirt and attempting to tuck it into her pants with as much dignity as she could muster, "Where the hell is Swan? I want this off now!" She lifted her wrist up in front of David as he unlocked her cell door.

"Sorry, Regina," David slid open the cell door, seemingly less intimidated by her when she was magic-less; which frustrated her even more, "Consider yourself on parole. We can't take that off of you until we know the town will be safe."

She glared at him for a moment before stepping out of her cell, "Of course you can't. We all know what a monster I am when left to my own devices," She hissed, stalking past him for the exit of the station. _The goddamn cuff would come off somehow, and Charming would regret ever refusing to take it off himself._

"Babe, wait up," James called out after her just to rile her more, seeing David shake his head as he opened his cell door.

"And you, don't think you're getting off free," His hero twin gave him an authoritative look that made James skin crawl with irritation, "You'll stand trial for your thefts. We'll determine your punishment then."

"Sounds like fun," He gave David a fake smile, patting his shoulder on his way past him in a way that suggested he did not take him seriously at all, "Let me know when you need me," He added, picking up the pace of his steps on his way out, partially to irritate his brother and the other half to catch up with Regina.

He jogged his way outside of the police station, closing the distance between he and the Queen quickly. It was amusing, the sight of the mighty Evil Queen in three day old clothes and tangled hair, sauntering down the street with as much pride as she could muster. "So that's it? You're going to leave without telling me bye?" He faked hurt, not being able to help but agitate her more; as if he hadn't gotten enough in the past two days.

"I think we've spent enough quality time together, haven't you?" Regina eyed him, her expression one of sheer annoyance as she squinted at the midday sun, "You're lucky David is probably watching us, otherwise I'd do away with you right now."

She threatened, though she knew she'd have to lay low for a while and pretend to be over it until the Charmings were off of her back. Besides, she was far too tired to care about her mission to destroy James right now, and truthfully her anger at him had dissolved somewhat in the past few days. Though, she figured she'd have to end him sooner rather than later; she still hated him and someone had to pay for Robin's death, after all.

"Your threats don't hold much merit with that bracelet, you know," James shoved his hands in his pockets, walking beside of her casually. He knew the past couple of days had changed the dynamic between them, though their game of back and forth could last a long time considering how stubborn they both were.

"I'll have it off in no time," She shrugged defiantly, tilting her chin up as she looked straight ahead of her, "Better sleep with one eye open."

"Better hope I don't steal the diamond back before you get your cuff off," He challenged, watching her arch an eyebrow and glance at him with a smirk that held no humor. "Or of course we could help each other."

The suggestion made Regina chuckle despite it being a serious offer, "And how exactly would you ever be able to help me?"

"I could help you get that bracelet off and you can help me get Gold's diamond back," James proposed with a shrug, glancing around to make sure no one was near, "Wouldn't you love to get back at these bastards for how they've treated you? We could own this town."

He watched her eyes turn a few shades darker and he knew that she liked the sound of what she heard, though he could tell she wasn't quite sold, "Did you forget my plans to kill you?" She asked after a moment.

"Why would you kill me when I'm the only one on your side in this godforsaken place?" James rolled his eyes as if she were talking crazy, "And you say I have no sense of survival. We're in the same boat, Regina. My brother is going to have the whole town burning me at the stake for my crimes soon, and they've got a collar on you like an animal," He nods towards the cuff, "So, what do you say? You gonna hole up and take their shit or should we remind them who we are?"

Regina squinted at him, aware that she was too exhausted and irritated to be making a rational decision. He wasn't the type to be trusted, but neither were the Charmings. She'd changed for them and now they were treating her like a petulant child who'd lost a toy instead of a woman who'd lost her soulmate.

"I'll consider it. Now get out of my sight."

"Gladly, Queen."


	6. Chapter 6

_thanks for the reviews...just to warn you, rating changes in this chapter ;) xoxo_

* * *

Regina snapped her fingers to refill the whiskey tumbler on her coffee table before mentally cursing, forgetting that she had no use of her magic thanks to the shackle on her wrist. Leaning back into her sofa after manually pouring herself another glass, she propped her legs up on the coffee table where her drink had just been. She'd come home from the sheriff's station and slept the entire evening and night, finally feeling caught up on the hours she'd missed in jail when she woke up the next morning.

Her mood elevated greatly after a long, steamy shower and slipping into a fresh pair of silky pajamas. She'd found no point in getting dressed today. Her only plans included honey whiskey and being alone with her thoughts. Being out of her element for two days and caged like an animal by the Charming's had completely thrown her.

Nothing unsettled her more than not knowing who she should hate. Her focus had been so clearly set on James before they were locked up in such close proximity. Their time spent and conversation confused her. She still didn't like him, _per se_ , but she didn't want to kill him as badly now. Though she'd never admit it to anyone, she was starting to believe her recent attempt to end James was an irrational decision.

Her internal struggle had consumed her, made her lash out without putting any real logic into her plans. She'd dreamed of how she could make James suffer for what he did in the Underworld, but had she chosen the wrong target for her hatred and revenge?

Even if James hadn't helped Hades, Robin still would've never agreed to leave his daughter in the Underworld. If Hades hadn't given Robin's life to James, it would have been given to someone else. Was James really to blame? Or had she just been deflecting the anger she carried over Robin's betrayal and death onto him?

Since Robin had impregnated her sister and the drama that followed with everyone in Storybrooke, Regina had never really had a moment to process his betrayal. There was never a calm time that they weren't focused on saving everyone from outside threats or the darkness where she and Robin could discuss what had happened.

Of course, in the few moments she had brought it up, Robin got very defensive. Instead of apologizing for the pain he caused her, he would flip it around, getting upset with her for not understanding why he had to 'move on' as he would say. Whether they were together or not, Robin had slept with someone else only four weeks after he'd said he chose her. All while she was making a fool of herself, begging everyone for help to get him back.

Throughout her sister's pregnancy, Regina had tried not to be bitter, not to resent Robin for sharing this experience with someone else. It was supposed to be them having a baby together, he was _her_ soulmate. Still, she tried to be the bigger person, tried to make things right and protect he and his child from her sister. And Robin let her…hid behind her as she stood up to her sister, let her clean up the mess that he created by sleeping with someone else.

If he'd only respected what he and Regina had for a while longer by not sleeping with another. She could've found him in time, could've prevented the entire unraveling of their relationship. But he hadn't and he didn't even respect what they had enough to apologize. She'd been angry for so long but had shoved it down deep inside of her for the sake of her family and friends who needed her protection.

As she'd grown accustomed to, she suffered silently so those around her could be happy. After all, that's how she ended up in the Underworld. Putting her neck out for Emma Swan's happiness had cost her her own. And how had she been repaid? By being stripped of her dignity and right to grieve, having her magic taken from her, being feared again and locked up by the very people she'd done so much to redeem herself for.

The entire situation made her angry and bitter. Though Robin betrayed her and their relationship had lost the spark it once had, she still had grieved him. A grief that had turned her loved ones wary of her once again. They didn't trust her, had expected the Evil Queen to reappear despite all of the ways she'd proven she'd changed. She grieved a man who didn't even deserve her love while losing the loyalty of the loved ones she'd sacrificed it all for.

Perhaps she was angrier at the fact that no matter how good she was or how much good she did, bad things always happened to her. It did not matter how she chose to live her life. She could be the picture of innocence or let the Evil Queen out to play and her ending would be the same unhappy and lonesome one. Just as the heroes could do whatever they wanted, but always lived happily ever after.

"So what do you say, _My Queen_?" A voice startled her, pulling her from her thoughts as she glanced up quickly to see James leaning against the archway of her den. He was staring at her in a way that suggested he had been there for a few moments, reading her thoughts through the expressions on her face. "Ready to get what we deserve?"

Regina tilted her head back into the cushion of her couch to turn her gaze up at him, letting her eyes roll lazily, "What is it that we deserve, James? Have you forgotten your role in this giant story we're all in? Because I think we're getting exactly what we deserve. You need to come to terms with that."

"Fuck that," James scoffed before coming into the den, shrugging off his leather jacket to the black tshirt he wore underneath. "After all the shit you've done for these people, you're just gonna hide out and let them treat you like a villain? Take your power away?"

"What's the point in fighting?" Regina gritted her teeth, hating the fact that he was calling her out. She watched as he grabbed her bottle of whiskey, turning it up and gulping down a few shots worth of liquor before setting it back down beside her calves.

"You're the Evil Queen, you're anything but weak," He replied, sitting down on the coffee table beside of her legs, pulling out his pack of cigarettes, "I haven't changed, so maybe I don't deserve anything better than the shit I'm getting but you…you have…and I'll be damned if I sit here and watch you piss away your life feeling sorry for yourself and letting them win."

"I don't allow smoking in my house," Regina narrowed her eyes as if she weren't listening to him, watching him light the cigarette anyway, resting one of his forearms on her shin propped up on the coffee table beside him.

"Only self-pity, right?" He took a drag, holding the cigarette with his free hand as the other hung over he leg casually, bringing his fingertips up to graze the back of her thigh.

"Fuck you," She snapped at him, leaning up to take the cigarette from between his fingers, bringing it up to her lips and taking a long drag before blowing it back in his face.

He watched her for a few moments, his eyes darting back and forth between her own and her full lips, "You couldn't handle it," He smirked back at her, slowly gripping the back of her thigh where his fingers grazed just moments earlier.

She felt her heart start beating faster at the slightly evil glint appearing in his gaze, gasping softly when he jerked her forward by her leg, "What do you think you're doing?" She berated him, chest rising and falling faster as she now lay on her back on the couch, legs splayed over his lap.

"For once in your life just shut up," James stubbed his cigarette out in her drink on the table beside him, running both of his hands up the side of her thighs, draping them over his own. She propped herself up on her elbows to look at him, her face flushed and angry, as if she were daring him to touch her again.

James' eyes feasted on her body, feeling himself tightening in his jeans. Her thighs were toned and tan, her stomach muscles taught from leaning up to look at him. Her silky pajama top fell off of one shoulder, exposing the swell of her right breast. He ran a hand up her thigh and over her hip, splaying it out after slipping it under the silky top. He watched her eyes darken dangerously as he slid his hand further up her stomach and ribs, grazing over the soft mound of her breast.

He watched her chest visibly move at her intake of breath when his thumb grazed her nipple. It was already hard as he teased it, flicking his thumb over the peak, feeling his blood begin to pump south to his groin. His other hand traveled up the back of her thigh, exploring her round ass as he slid it under her shorts.

Her hips moved slightly, instinctually curling up towards him as he squeezed the flesh of her ass in his grip. She was still watching him with guarded eyes, as if she hadn't quite decided whether she was going to fuck him or kill him. _Or both._ He felt the way her body was betraying her, becoming confident that she'd give in as his hand left her breast, traveling back down her stomach that tensed at his touch. He looked at her with a half smirk as he ran his thumb over the apex of her thighs through her silky shorts, pressing down hard on her clit.

Regina's eyes closed instantly as she let out a whimper when he thumbed her aching bundle of nerves, making her realize how long it had been since any attention had been paid to it. The pressure of his finger felt delicious and teasing through the thin layer of silk separating it from her flesh. She lost herself for a moment as he started to move in slow circles before stopping abrputly, prompting her to look at him. When she opened her eyes she saw him smirking as if he had won their battle of the wills. It was all a game to him, getting her riled up only to see if he could make her give in.

James watched her expression turn from pleasure to rage before feeling the sting of her palm on the side of his face, making him bring his hands up to feel the claw marks she'd put into his skin. Anger was his immediate reaction, glaring at her in a sort of shock as he wiped his face and saw the smear of blood on his palm. He gripped her small wrist, squeezing it roughly as she narrowed her eyes in an attempt not to show any pain.

"Bastard," She hissed at him not backing down to her, feeling his grip tighten on her wrist. She watched a drop of blood from one of the scratches roll down his face, heightening the eroticism of the moment. She wanted to both ravage and throttle him, maybe even at the same time. No one had ever been able to enrage her or turn her on this way before. The swirling heat inside of her caused her to act without thinking; the Queen of Control came unraveled and she couldn't seem to make it stop.

She lunged at him, attacking his lips with her own as their bodies knocked the glass and bottle of the table when their chests thudded together. He groaned into her mouth as he kissed her back with equal ferocity, bruising her lips as she struggled to free her hand form his grip. They tumbled into the floor between the couch and coffee table, hands grasping and clawing at each other in a mixture of anger and need.

He landed on top of her, pinning her hands above her as he pressed his forehead against hers for a moment tugging her bottom lip with his teeth. Regina gazed up at him with heavy lidded eyes as she jerked her hands free and scratched her nails over his back, grasping at the edge of his tshirt. He allowed her to shuck it, pulling it over his arms and watching her throw it to the side. She surprised him by leaning up, running her tongue over his chest and biting down on the flesh. James let out a groan, gripping her ass and jutting his hips against her sex harder.

Regina felt him pressing against her through the jeans he had on, smirking against his skin at the realization that he was well endowed. She lifted her mouth from his chest to look back up at him, feeling his hands pulling at the silk of her top. She raised her arms as he rid her of the fabric, his eyes darkening a few shades before he lowered his head.

She moaned out loud, letting her body fall back against the floor as he devoured her breast, both of her hands coming into his hair to grip it firmly. He was rough and greedy, not afraid of hurting her like so many lovers in her past. It often frustrated her how delicately Robin would take her when sometimes all she wanted to do was fuck.

James ground his hips into hers firmly, suckling at her nipple and biting down on the flesh around it. The guttural sounds coming from Regina's throat spurred him on, driving him insane with want. Her hips writhed underneath his as he gripped her ass, holding her close against him.

"Fuck," He let one of her nipples go with a pop of his lips before paying the same attention to the other breast. Slipping two fingers under the band of her shorts, he began scooting them down over her hips, his blood pumping faster when she lifted them up to help him remove them.

Regina watched as James' muscular arms peeled the dampened fabric down her legs and couldn't help but smirk devilishly at the look on his face as he took in her naked body. It felt good to give into her primal instincts, to see that gaze of desperate need on a man's face again and know that it was caused by her. It had been years since she felt wanted enough to bring a man to that point.

"Perfect," He groaned at the way she bit her lip and spread her legs invitingly before him. Her nipples were rock hard, her sex glistening with wetness. James wanted to taste her, to bite her, suck her and lick her until she couldn't even make sound. He wasted no time as he buried his head between her thighs, earning a choked moan from the minx underneath him.

"Right there, mm...don't stop," She commanded breathlessly letting her head fall back as she gripped his hair, grinding her sex against his mouth as his tongue prodded her. She could barely recognize the sounds coming out of her as he ate her, his lips sucking her clit one moment and nipping it the next, his tongue thrusting into her and curling to hit the spot that made her burn inside.

"Of course, _My Queen_ ," He grinned, his lips brushing against her clit with the words before sucking down on it again as hard as he could, pulling and teasing the throbbing nerves. He watched her chest heave and heard a string of curse words leave her mouth before her back arched from the floor and she screamed, coating his mouth in her arousal as she came hard, hips writhing as she rode out her orgasm against his tongue.

She pushed his mouth off of her quickly by her grip of his hair, feeling so oversensitive that the touch of his tongue was almost painful. Her gaze caught his as he allowed her to hold his head up roughly by his hair before he turned it to bite down on her inner thigh, making her moan again.

"Let me fuck you," He demanded, pressing his hands against the floor as he crawled back up over her, "Look what you've done to me," He hastily undid the button on his pants, taking her hand and pushing it inside of his boxers, making her feel his girth.

She moaned as her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, her fingers curling around his thickness. She could feel him throbbing under her touch, wondered how it would feel to have him inside of her, stretching her deliciously. He was a big boy, his length impressive but his width making her mouth water. With a nudge of her whole body she pushed him over onto his back, straddling him.

He watched her naked body on top of him, hands greedily working at pulling his boxers and jeans down his legs. He saw her eyes sparkle with devious intent when he sprang to life, harder than he thought he'd ever been. She crawled back up his body in a catlike manner, hands pressing into his chest as she rolled her hips, grinding herself over his length.

"Good god, Regina," He gritted his teeth together, looking up at her with dangerously dark eyes as he gripped her bare ass. She was dripping wet, coating his entire shaft in her juices as she slid her lips over it back and forth, achingly slow, "Quit teasing, you bitch."

She gave him an evil grin, showing her perfect pearly whites. Her face was devoid of her usual makeup, making her lip scar more prominent, "Poor little Prince, are you going to blow before you even get inside of me?" She whispered near his ear after running her tongue along his jaw line, pressing a hand to his chest to steady herself as she gripped his base with another hand underneath her.

"Fuck, Regina!" James groaned as she sheathed herself on him, feeling unbelievably tight and hot as he stretched her. She scratched her nails over his chest before pressing her palms against his pecks, starting to roll her hips when she'd adjusted to him. They fit together almost seamlessly, her eyes drinking in the sight of his hard body underneath her.

"This means nothing," She glared down at him rather breathlessly, one of her hands moving up to grasp his neck, applying some pressure, "Say you agree."

"You can't make me say anything," He challenged her, digging his fingers into the round of her ass as he moved her harder on him, thrusting himself underneath her hearing her breath catch.

"Say it," She growled as she rode harder, her breasts bouncing with each jerking movement of her hips. She'd soaked them both, making each movement slick and hot and harder for him not to explode too soon. Her nails dug into his neck as her grip tightened, finding it infuriating and sexy that he stood up to her like no man had before.

"Never," He hissed back at her, slamming her hips on his wildly as his own raised further off of the floor with each thrust, making her mouth fall open despite her best effort to keep a threatening expression on her face. Her toned stomach muscles clenched with the fast rolling of her hips, her hand on his neck giving her support as the other one pressed firmly on his own taught abs.

"Come for me, Queen," James demanded, feeling her grip on his neck become tighter, making it harder for him to get a deep breath, "I want to hear you scream my name," He growled breathlessly, bringing one of his hands down to grind his thumb over her clit again.

He watched her brow furrow, perfect teeth biting down on her succulent bottom lip as her eyes closed and a loud whimper came from her mouth. He felt her muscles clench around him and contract violently, causing her back to arch as her hips jerked wildly. Her breasts thrust forwards above him and he couldn't resist lifting up to nip at one of her nipples.

"James!" She screamed as her mouth formed an o shape, her stomach contracting as she clenched his erection. Her nails dug into his neck and chest, scratching down his front deeply causing him to groan loudly as he lost control himself. The waves of her orgasm milked him as he came inside of her, hands returning to her ass to grind her slowly on him, making their pleasure last as long as he could. He smirked as she collapsed against his front with the realization that he'd just made the Queen scream his name.

She felt his labored breathing under her own chest, their bare skin hot and sticking to each other. As much as she hated anything that resembled holding each other or basking in the afterglow, she had to lay against him for a moment, face in his neck, just until she came down from the high and regained control of her body.

James ran a hand down her arm that was folded against her side, his fingers thumbing the enchanted cusp on her wrist, "Now that we've gotten each other off, should we start on this, _Queen_?" She heard him ask, feeling his lips curl into a wicked smile over her ear.


	7. Chapter 7

_i'm in the mood to write something a little more on the dark side, so i decided to update this one tonight. hope you're still reading. let me know if i should continue! xxx_

* * *

Emma glanced at the clock on the wall, tapping her pen on her desk absentmindedly at how slowly the day seemed to be going. Things had been eerily quiet around town since they let Regina and James out of their cells. Not that she expected Regina to act immediately, she was much too smart for that. But James was another story, and she fully expected her uncle to be raising hell by this point.

She and David had been casually making rounds by Regina's home and the graveyard to make sure nothing looked awry, but she also knew the mayor would never be obvious if she were up to something. Her friend's mental state worried her, especially that she hadn't even made an attempt to see their son since they'd been back. That is how she knew just how deeply Regina's spirit had been crushed by losing another love in her life. She knew she wasn't in her right mind because Henry was everything to her and she'd even rejected him.

"You seen anything of Regina or James since we let them out?" Emma's lips drew into a worried frown as she kicked her feet up on her desk at the station, glancing over at David on his computer.

"No and as long as they're not killing each other or anyone else I don't care," David rolled his eyes, letting out a deep breath as he looked up at his daughter, "You're still worried about Regina getting revenge?"

"Hell yeah I am. How are you not worried? She went after you and mom for how many years before she gave up?" She watched her father incredulously, shocked that he was not alarmed by the situation at hand.

"Regina will brood for as long as she needs to and nothing that we do is going to make any difference," He gave a frank shrug, "Do you know how many times your mom and I tried to give her a chance to redeem herself when she was the Evil Queen? She's more stubborn than anybody and she's not going to come around until she's damn well ready to."

"But she's mad as hell at us right now and with good reason. I'm the reason she lost Robin, she came to help me get my love back and she lost hers, again," Emma frowned at her father's lack of empathy at the moment. Sure, Regina had given them all headaches since she'd gotten back but she had every right to. She was grieving.

"It's not your fault Robin died," David was the one who frowned now, giving a quick shake of his head to dismiss her statement, "Look right now my priority is keeping this town safe. Which means making sure my brother stays out of trouble and that Regina doesn't turn into the Evil Queen again. And with how pissed off she is right now, the best thing to do is give her space. No good ever came out of pushing that woman."

* * *

"How do you even know what your idiot brother did with the black diamond?" Regina scoffed, following James down the back alley near the building of Snow and David's loft apartment. Her frustration was building at the fact that they were probably going to end up being caught and sent back to those damned jail cells. _But then again, what did she have to lose at this point?_

"Will you shut up? We're not trying to make ourselves known in case you hadn't caught on," James frowned at her as he glanced both ways down the alley before starting up the old metal steps on the side of the building. Regina hesitated for a moment at the poor condition of the structure before her before rolling her eyes and following him.

"Sorry if I want to know if I'm risking my life for a legitimate reason," The queen hissed, holding onto the railing of the rusted steps and trying not to look down as they made their way up, "I've survived way too much to lose my life due to some goddamn rusted staircase. Besides, why would he hide the diamond in his apartment? It's the first place anyone with sense would look."

"You do know my brother, right?" James ignored her griping, trying out each step in front of him with a little bit of his weight before going further, "What's the matter? The Evil Queen scared of heights?" He smirked when he glanced behind him, seeing her gripping onto the railing as they ascended the fire escape of the old building.

Her eyes quickly shifted from the ground under her feet to him at the knowledge she'd been caught, "No, just imagining how satisfying it would be to see you go head first off of this thing." She hated when someone spotted a weakness of hers. She'd always prided herself on not having any in her Evil Queen days. However, she'd never quite kicked the whole fear of heights during her reign.

"Don't talk about killing me, you know that turns me on," He replied with a grin as they reached the small balcony, peering into the window to make sure no one was home.

"Any Charmings?" Regina asked as she came up behind him, getting her answer when he pulled out his pocket knife and started jimmying the window, "Where did you learn to do that?" She watched as he managed to flip the latch on the window with the end of the blade before folding it and putting it back into his pocket, shoving the window up.

"Queens first," He nodded, holding out his hand in amusement when she hesitated before allowing him to help her crawl through the window, taking advantage of the chance to be as handsy as he could. Once she was in he followed, shutting the window behind him as to not leave any trace they were there and ignoring the testy arch to her brow he'd earned from his grip of her ass.

"Now," James began mockingly, tapping a finger on his squared chin as he looked around the cozy apartment, "If I were an idiot, where would I hide something I did not want someone to find?" He raised an eyebrow playfully with a glance to Regina. She had to admit they did have a similar sense of humor and let a small smile show at his jest of David.

"You start with checking under the bed and in the sock drawer, I'll check the kitchen cabinets," Regina gave him a nod, feeling James hand smack her bottom playfully as she walked past him, "I've killed people for less," She grit out even though it sent a little sliver of pleasure through her, hearing him laugh as he went into the bedroom. _Bastard._

Regina started to snoop through the kitchen, pulling out drawers and opening cabinets in search of the black diamonds. Finding it was the first step in obtaining enough magic to get the stupid cuff of her wrist. After they got the diamond she knew she would have to do some research in the old magic books in her vault before their job was complete. Using magic from an outside source was something she wasn't entirely comfortable with, especially in the presence of someone she couldn't trust like James.

Though she still didn't trust him, he had proved himself useful so far. If the mind blowing sex on her living room floor weren't enough, he'd formulated this plan to break into the Charmings' apartment to find the diamond. She knew it wasn't a selfless act for him, he was going to get just as much power as she was from this stupid rock, but he still took the initiative and she respected that. He certainly wasn't new at this type of underhanded business and she found his blatant immorality turned her on more than she cared to admit.

Regina's anxiety and irritation began to surface after a few moments, not finding the gem in any of the obvious places she expected a buffoon like David to hide something important. She gave a glance around the living area before walking towards the bedroom, seeing James still going through drawers. He was put together exceptionally well today; tailored jeans, a black vee neck shirt and his leather jacket, all fitting him to perfection. He didn't shave as much as his brother did either, giving him an older and more distinguished look.

"Any luck?" She sighed, coming up behind him as he rifled through the belongings in the old wicker stand carelessly.

Suddenly he slammed the top drawer of it shut before spinning around, causing Regina to startle before she realized he was holding up the black diamond, "Can you believe that stupid fuck? He put it in the nightstand," James let out a laugh and one escaped Regina too before she could contain it. She usually didn't allow herself to react so freely, but everything he did was so unexpected and raw it was hard not to.

James watched her laugh with a heated glint of excitement in his eyes, shoving the diamond in his jacket pocket before gripping Regina's arms and jerking her against him. Her mouth opened to protest but before any sound came out he'd captured her lips in his own and his hands gripped her ass, swiftly lifting her up off of the floor and walking until her back hit against the brick wall with a thud.

"What do you think you're-" Regina began to berate him before his mouth found her neck, her eyes fluttering closed at the way he kissed the spot he had discovered she liked. He had a way with his lips and tongue, proving himself to be rather experienced. It had been so long since she had just had sex with no emotions involved. The act was raw and animalistic between them; a freeing experience to not have to think about anything but chasing the pleasure.

"You can't say you're not a little turned on at the thought we could get caught at any moment," He groaned against her neck as he kissed and nuzzled his stubble over her sensitive skin, spreading her legs and wrapping them around his waist, "My brother or his wife could walk in on me fucking you against their bedroom wall. Can you imagine what innocent little Snow would think of the way I pound you?" He smirked against Regina's skin and she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her at his words, making her clit begin to throb with arousal.

"I bet this room has never seen anything but missionary," Regina gave an evil smirk as she reached between them to start undoing his belt and jeans, feeling James' hands rut her dress up her thighs anxiously. She curled her hips up to him a little and spread her legs more, knowing he'd be pleasantly surprised once he'd fully unwrapped his present.

He managed to get the fitted dress up over her hips before lifting his head to smirk at her when he found she wasn't wearing any panties, "Always thinking ahead, aren't you?" He muttered a curse word under his breath when he delved two fingers into her soaking lips, stroking at her swollen clit firmly, causing Regina to mewl and arch her back from the wall.

"Shut up and fuck me," Regina ordered as she dug her nails into his sides, pulling him in between her legs tightly once she'd pushed down his jeans and boxers. She felt him dangerously hard and rubbing against her, his cock begging for entry.

James smiled smugly as he pulled his digits from her wetness and gripped himself, giving a pump down his shaft to coat himself with her, "Fuck," He groaned as he took her in one hard thrust, gripping the undersides of her thighs to hold her up against the wall as he began to move. She fit him like a glove and the way she tilted her hips and beckoned him deeper threatened to make him explode.

Regina gripped his hair tightly, nudging him down to kiss at her neck as she grasped his back with her other hand, moving with him after taking a few moments to adjust to his size. She'd missed spontaneous sex; skipping all of the foreplay for a quick romp, feeling that little bit of pain mixed with pleasure before the hot rush of an adrenaline laced orgasm. She pushed her hips up to meet his when his thrusts deepend, feeling him stretching her delightfully. She moaned and whimpered, hiking her legs around his back higher, taking more of him.

"You're so tight," James brushed his lips over her neck as his grip on the back of her thighs became bruisingly tight, starting to slam himself inside of her. Regina was cursing and crying out loud now, bringing both of her hands down to grip his ass and pull him deeper.

"Harder," She begged, digging her nails into the flesh of his ass, spurning him on until he was thrusting wildly and both of them were panting. There was no trace of romance or regard for decency, just the primal and desperate movements of their bodies caught up in the heat of the moment. No sweet words or declarations of love whispered, just the friction of their skin and the sound of their labored breath.

A sudden noise from the other side of the brick wall he had her up against alerted them both, causing them to jolt to a stop and stare at each other with widened eyes. The sound of a key opening the front door made Regina's heart pound in her ears, adrenaline coursing through her. Luckily they were just around the corner in the bedroom area of the loft and out of sight, but there was no exit from here that they could get out unseen.

"I knew I left them in here," They heard David's voice and footsteps around the kitchen island. Regina tried to control her panting, but her body was aching, feeling James still impressively hard inside of her. Fear of being caught coursed through her as well as the need for friction, biting down on her lip to regain her control.

James smirked at Regina after seeing the panic on her features, their faces only inches apart. He knew David wasn't there to stay and he intended to make the most out of the adrenaline high he knew they both felt at breaking in and almost being caught. James was throbbing inside of Regina's heat and he knew she was aching too from how wet she was. He dipped his head into her neck again feeling her tense at his intention to keep going, but knew she wouldn't risk whispering to tell him to stop and being heard.

"It's a good thing we don't arrest people very often around here. You always leave the cell keys at home," Emma's voice rang out, sounding like she was standing near the front door. James started moving slowly, causing Regina's breath to hitch in his ear as he nibbled and sucked at her earlobe and neck.

"I don't do it _that_ often, Emma." Regina ran her hands up James' back under his shirt digging her nails into his skin, pressing her mouth into the bend of his neck to keep from crying out when he picked up the pace. He was gradually working his way back to how he was pounding her before, being careful not to slap their skin too hard and give themselves away. Her mouth curled into an "o" shape against his skin, feeling herself rapidly reaching her peak and praying that the father daughter duo would be gone within the next minute. _If she could last that long._

"Yeah, yeah." Their voices came from a further distance before the sound of the front door closing allowed Regina and James' to let out pent up moans.

"That was so close," Regina gasped, rolling her hips with his, tightening her legs around him as she whimpered, "I'm so close," She added, flashing a naughty smirk with James' when he lifted his head from her neck. He mirrored it instantly at the sight of her red lips curled into a smile, showcasing that scar he found so sexy and the pearly white smile he rarely saw.

"Scream for me, Queen," James demanded before starting to slam himself into her with abandon, watching her start to unravel. Her nails dug into his ass, her walls tensing and clenching around him as he drove her rapidly to her peak. Her head fell back against the wall and her eyes closed as her mouth opened and a loud, throaty cry came out of her as her orgasm hit her. He cursed out loud at how hard she came around him before he filled her with his own orgasm, the movement of their hips becoming jerky in the last throws.

* * *

The sanctuary of her vault made Regina feel as peaceful as she could these days as she sat on the rug with her back against an old chest, reading through ancient magic books she had collected over the years. It was fairly dark save for a few candles lit in the corners of the room and one sitting on the chest she rested against to allow her to see. It had been a few days since she and James had managed to get the diamond back and she'd been studying ever since in preparation to remove the cuff.

She could practically feel the gravitational pull of the dark magic in Rumple's stone, beckoning her to join the dark side once more. When she'd first returned from the Underworld she'd been ready to fully revert and turn her back on everyone else, but since then she'd had time to calm down from the trauma of Robin's death. Being on her own had made her realize how much she missed her family and that she still wanted to protect them, despite keeping her distance. It's why she was taking extra precaution when using the black diamond; she couldn't risk the Evil Queen coming back in full force and hurting the ones she loved.

James hadn't been around since he surprisingly let her store the stone in one of her old heart boxes. She'd convinced him it would be safer in her vault due to the intricate protection spell she'd secured over the tomb, allowing entry to no one that she didn't trust. She didn't want the diamond to be in his possession until she had her own magic back. James was fully committed to the dark side and she'd never rest knowing he wielded that powerful of magic while the cuff still rendered her defenseless. She didn't think he'd go back on their agreement and come after her, but she still didn't want him walking around with that kind of ability in the same town her son was in.

Regina sighed at the loneliness creeping up in her at the thought of her boy, shutting the magic book as her focus had already dissipated by that point. She stood from her position on the floor, stretching out the stiffness and brushing the dust off of herself before pacing around the room restlessly. Her feet mindlessly stopped in front of her wall of hearts, her eyes resting on the box that held her own. She bit at her lip as she contemplated the organ that brought her much pain, berating herself for not being strong enough to endure life with it beating inside of her.

"So you still don't have your heart in you? That explains a lot," She heard a familiar voice say, causing her to spin around suddenly. Henry stood before her at the bottom of the steps with an expression that gave nothing away as to how he was currently feeling, though she didn't expect he was going to say anything good.

"No, I don't," She admitted, trying not to show the guilt in her expression at how she'd rejected and abandoned him. It was better if she kept up her front and forced him to be with the Charmings. Being close to him would only hurt him in the long run.

Henry's stare never wavered, feeling his eyes on her even after she hung her head slightly to stare at the floor, "What's your plan? You just gonna keep your heart locked away the rest of your life for fear that you actually might have some good still left in you?" _She hated how well her son knew her at times._

 _"_ There's nothing good left in me, Henry," She raised her head up to stare back at him, shoving her hands into the pockets of her blazer, "Why are you here?" She asked bluntly, trying to sound indifferent. It was hard not to cave and wrap her arms around the boy, but she knew he'd only recoil and her fragile heart would dissolve in the very box it was kept in.

"I could ask you the same question," He shrugged frankly, ignoring her stinging words as he glanced over at the piles of magic books on the floor, "I hope you're not up to anything you'll regret."

"Why do you think I'm up to anything?" She asked defiantly, tilting her head back slightly in indignation. The tension and emotion were thick in the air, almost suffocatingly so, and she knew both of them felt it.

Her son gave a signature eye roll he'd undoubtedly learned from his biological mother, "You only study this hard when you're about to do something big. Who's your target this time? Grandma and Grandpa? Mom? Or me?"

"Henry I would never-" Regina began quickly as her brow furrowed before realizing she was about to admit that she still cared, seeing his satisfied expression.

"You would never hurt me, I know," He smiled smugly, "Because you love me and I love you." The red glow from the box containing her heart caught the corner of Regina's eye and she hoped he didn't see it. Her heart was radiating at his words and would be a dead give away to him to how much she missed him. She had to remember she was doing this for his sake. Time and again life proved to break her and she couldn't risk putting him in the pathway of the danger and heartache that seemed to haunt she and everyone she loved.

She tried to swallow the knot in her throat as she watched her son glance around the vault once more, "Just don't do anything stupid," He warned with a sentiment that suggested her still trusted her despite everything, before turning to start back up the stairs to the exit, "And mom? I'm never going to give up on you, so when you're done grieving and stop being stubborn, put your heart back in and let me know, okay? I'm here for you," He stopped on the steps, glancing back over his shoulder and waiting for affirmation.

Henry understood her in a way that no one ever had. He knew that she often did the wrong things for the right reasons. He saw past her wall and had thick enough skin to chip away at it. Regina blinked back the tears, willing herself to be strong but feeling her resolve crumble as he stood, refusing to leave until she agreed to come back to him eventually. She knew everyone would be safer if she left them alone. She knew she should say something hurtful and try to make him not care. Still, she found herself giving him a slow nod.


	8. Chapter 8

_whew, seeing the Evil Queen back on my screen is giving me all kinds of dark thoughts. thought i'd make good use of them ;) I didn't proof read bc it's late so I apologize in advance! xxx_

* * *

James smirked to himself when he found the Queen sitting in the middle of her large bed, cross-legged in a slip of a nightgown and a large book in her lap. She tugged at her bottom lip in concentration, tucking her now shorter hair behind her ear. She must have gotten it cut today.

"What are you doing here?" She asked without looking up, sensing his presence. Her tone was one of utter annoyance and if it had been anyone else they probably would've tucked their tails and ran. "Better yet, how did you get in?"

"I have my ways," James made his way into her bedroom, shucking off his leather jacket and throwing it across the chair in the corner.

Regina looked up at him with a raised brow, "I think you're a little confused on what's going on between us."

"Tell me, what is going on between us?" He kicked off his boots on the next couple of steps before throwing himself on the bed in front of her, propping his top half up on his right elbow.

"Fucking," The usually polite Queen stated with a fake smile, closing her magic book with a finger in the middle as not to lose her place, "Which does not mean you have the right to let yourself into my house or come into my room unannounced," She glared at him then and he could tell he'd really irritated her by coming into her personal space.

"I could make it up to you," James gave a devilish smirk as he reached out to run a hand up her thigh that she ended up swatting away.

"I'm serious, don't get this confused," She clenched her jaw in frustration. She'd been reading those goddamn magic books all day and she still didn't feel prepared to use the dark magic from the stone to undo her cuff yet. The idea of a romp with James wasn't entirely unappealing, she just didn't like him the idea of him being comfortable enough to approach her this way.

"I'm not confused at all," James met her glare as he rolled onto his back, "Just horny," He groaned, running a hand over the crotch of his jeans, "Thinking about you with your skirt up around your waist and me in between your thighs against the wall of my brother's apartment."

 _Fuck_. There was something about him, maybe the evil part, that turned her on. She'd been on the righteous path for so long, had even been with a good man like Robin, but the Evil Queen was still inside of her. And sometimes the Evil Queen just wanted to fuck the life out of some malevolent bastard like James.

"You really get off on getting revenge on your brother, don't you?" Regina rolled her eyes despite the fact the image turned her own as well. She shifted then to put the book on the night stand and he grinned when he knew he'd convinced her to take a break.

"I'd much rather get off on you," He smirked, sitting up and pulling his shirt over his head. "Which reminds me. Have you made any headway on our plans to take over this fucking town once your cuff is off?"

Regina followed suit, pulling her slip up over her head leaving her in nothing but black lace panties, "That depends on how we want to do it," She shrugged as she dropped the nightie over the edge of the bed with a hint of a smirk. James watched her before reaching out to grab one of her legs and jerking her down onto her back.

"Well we could do it the old fashioned way," James crawled up over her, smirking as he pressed his hips against hers, nothing between them but his jeans and her lace, "We could just kill whoever we didn't want here."

"Been there, done that," Regina rolled her eyes, gripping his hair with one of her hands and pushing him downward where she wanted him, "With your mouth first," She demanded, hearing him groan into her thigh.

"There's sleeping curses," He suggested, moving his body down hers and tearing her panties into two pieces, tossing them behind him. Instant heat shot through her when she looked down to see him spread her legs like he was opening a present as he gazed up at her with a smirk.

"That's too Enchanted Forest-y," She sighed, folding an arm under the back of her head to prop it up a little as he kissed over the insides of her thighs slowly, "Quit giving me shitty ideas and do something useful with that mouth."

James' cock throbbed at her bossing him around, used to being the one who always dominated in the bedroom. He felt like for once he finally found his equal in a battle of the wills and he was going to enjoy it, "Well…You don't want to physically hurt anyone because your son would never forgive you and all of that mushy garbage," He spread her thighs wider and gave her body a tug, pulling her lips directly underneath his mouth, "Which means you'll have to find a way to switch things up so they're living miserable existences…kind of like the first curse before it broke."

Regina mulled it over before lifting her hips up towards him impatiently and groaning when he licked her in response, "That idea is the least useless one you've suggested."

He swirled his tongue around her clit, smirking at the way she moaned and gripped his hair. The Queen was not afraid of showing her sexuality and it turned him on like nothing else. She brought out a primal side of him that had him wanting to take her anytime he was near her.

"Maybe some kind of time reverse?" James lifted his mouth for a moment and instantly heard her groan in frustration, "Just trying to help, Your Majesty."

"If you want to help me, make me come on your tongue and then we'll talk about curses," She snapped and nearly cried out when he took her off guard by covering her with his mouth, licking and sucking and teasing her.

" _Shit...oh, fuck,_ " She gasped, her thighs clenching around his head but he didn't stop, just gripped her legs harder and continued to eat her until she was moaning and writhing senselessly. Regina brought one hand up to her breast, teasing her nipple as the other jerked on his hair, keeping his head in place as her hips writhed. " _Right there, don't stop James….I swear…to god…if you stop-"_

Her threat was cut short when he introduced two fingers into his ministrations on her, pushing them inside her and causing her to moan out loud and lose her train of thought. James groaned against her as he sucked firmly on her clit, curling his fingers inside of her to stroke her gspot with each thrust.

Regina unraveled quickly with how tightly she was wound from stress, giving into the feeling and letting her body begin to convulse. Her back arched from the bed as she cried out and her hips jerked, but he kept his free arm locked around her thighs and his head buried between them.

"Fuck!" She groaned as she came down from the waves of pleasure, unclenching her legs as he let them fall to the sides. Her hand came up to run over her face and brush her hair back from it as she tried to catch her breath. James smirked in satisfaction at the look on her face as he started to crawl up over her again.

"A time reversal spell," Regina stated, her voice dangerously low, "I'll reverse the town back to before the first curse was broken. I'll have Henry to myself and all of those other insufferable idiots will be unhappy and not even know it."

"What's in it for me?" James asked as he reached down between them to unbuckle his jeans.

"I'll make you the sheriff," She smirked up at him with an evil glint in her eyes, "You can lock your twin away for life, see if I care."

"Fuck, you're sexy when you talk about destroying lives," He ginned as he pushed his pants and boxers down, kicking them off when he worked them down his legs.

He gave her a grin before gripping her left hip and turning her over quickly onto her stomach, "You got what you wanted now I get what I want," James explained, nipping the skin on her shoulder, "Get on your hands and knees."

Regina smirked to herself as she pushed her hands against the mattress and lifted her top portion up before bringing her knees up, "Like that?" She purred, spreading her knees apart and pushing her hips back to him. It wasn't one of her favorite positions, but the groan that ripped form his throat made it worth it.

"Just like that," James ran a hand over one of her ass cheeks, squeezing it before smacking it hard and eliciting a hiss from her. "Good girl."

He'd never seen anything more erotic than the sight of the Evil Queen naked and on all fours in front of him. She turned her head to the side to glance back at him with a cat like grin that had him running his finger down the base of her spine slowly, eyes following to the narrow waist and wider hips, to the round of her ass, to the glistening slit in between them. James gripped the sides of her hips as he stood on his knees behind her, preparing to pound her.

"You're dripping," He smirked as he rubbed his length along the outside of her folds, coating himself. "Do I need to use a condom?" He asked, gripping his base and pushing his tip against her folds. He hated kids and shuddered at the thought of a child, especially with the Evil Queen.

"No, I took care of that years ago," She replied and although he didn't know what that meant it was a good enough answer for him. He pulled her hips towards him as he thrust forward, taking her deeply and causing her to cry out.

Regina moaned at how hard he felt inside of her, fisting the bed sheets under her hands that held her up and pushing back towards him. She had to admit that this position made her feel him deeper than the ones before, especially when she curled her back and pushed her hips up towards him, impaling herself on his cock even more.

"Mmm, you're a quick study," James smirked at the way she was pushing back on him, starting to add his own firm thrust to create fiction.

"What makes you think you're teaching me anything?" She asked him amused, gasping and moaning with each thrust backwards that she gave him, one of her hands coming up to press against the headboard and give her better leverage.

"Evil bitch," He hissed with a smirk and gripped her hips, starting to pull himself out of her almost all of the way and slamming back into her. She was wet enough from him going down on her that she could take it, plus he knew she obviously liked it rough. Finally, someone that could keep up with him.

* * *

James woke to find himself still in the Queen's bed. Granted, they were side ways and in opposite directions from the filthy things they'd been doing to each other, but he was still there. He supposed they'd fallen asleep after going round for round into the early hours of the morning. She was stressed and he was thoroughly content with letting her ride out her frustration.

Regina was laying on her stomach, tangled up in a sheet that barely covered her perfect ass form his view. An ass that was a little red today from his slaps, that led to thighs that had his teeth marks imprinted on them in the form of purple bruises. His back was sore when he moved and he didn't need a mirror to tell him she'd broken the skin while clawing at it. If he wasn't so startled by the fact he'd practically spent the night he probably would've fucked her again.

She looked less intimidating this way, makeup worn off and concealer gone form the scar on her lip. Short hair splayed over the bed as her head laid on her crossed arms. She looked more human than he'd ever seen her and he was sure if she was aware she was being watched right now she'd be instantly angry. Luckily she seemed like a deep sleeper so he managed to slide off of the bed and pick up his jeans without her stirring.

He managed to get dressed and slip out of her room without waking her, still puzzled at how he'd managed to let himself fall asleep there. She was the Evil Queen and he'd allowed himself to get comfortable enough to fall asleep in her bed. She could've offed him right then and there. He didn't trust her. He enjoyed the hell out of the sex, but he didn't trust her.

James made his way down the staircase, running a hand through the top of his hair in an attempt to wake up. He shuffled into her kitchen, on the way through to grab a glass of water before he left. _It was the least she could give him after depleting him last night,_ he mused. Her home was pristine with absolutely no clutter and very few sentimental decorations.

His eyes clocked the picture frame in the window sill of Regina and Henry when he was a few years younger. They looked happy and he really could tell she loved her son. It was strange how much of her heartbreak he saw and understood. She'd lost so many people close to her that when she experienced having a family with Henry, she was desperate to never lose it. Except for now when she was trying to convince herself that he was better off without her.

He himself had experienced loss, but he'd never experienced the love of family or having one of his own like Regina had. He wondered what was worse, experiencing it and losing it or never knowing it at all. He shrugged the thoughts away, taking a last large gulp of his water before he let himself out. Regina's fucked up mental state was not his problem and she would fix it herself when she reversed time and the curse was back in effect again. He'd get what he wanted as well and for once be in a position of power and more respected than his less deserving brother. Things would finally be as they should.

* * *

"What in the hell happened to you?" Regina heard a familiar female voice and inwardly groaned as she quickly shut her notes into her book of magic and closed it. The stupid fairy was nosy and would undoubtedly be trying to read whatever she was up to. Tink appeared in the archway of her dining room, coming in to take a seat at the table.

"You look like hell," Tink smirked and made Regina glare at her harder. There had been a time she was scared of the Evil Queen, but not anymore. Tink knew she had a soft side that only wanted to love and be loved in return.

"You better get out of here before I smash you like the bug that you are," She quipped with a frown to which Tink rolled her eyes.

"Who gave you the love bites?"

Regina reached up quickly to her neck, realizing she had forgotten to heal those after getting ready this morning. "That's..none of your business."

"Oh come on Regina, I haven't seen you in months," Her former friend pleaded, watching the way the Queen shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "If there's someone new I want to know all about him!"

"Because you meddling in my love life worked out so great last time," Regina snapped and she saw the flicker of guilt that graced Tink's features. She hated herself for the way she took everything out on people she cared about, but she hadn't asked Tink to come check up on her. "Besides, there's no one new."

"So did that to yourself?" Tink prodded, eyes glued to the bite marks on her neck that she was sure were other places as well. The fairy had tougher skin than Regina thought.

"I'm working with James to break this stupid cusp off of my arm," She held up her hand and frowned, "We found we can mutually benefit each other in more than one way. It's nothing more than sex. I can't stand him."

"Well is the sex good, at least?"

"Tink!" Regina's mouth dropped at the invasion of privacy.

"Come on, nobody who gets marked up like that is a prude," Tinkerbell laughed a little and rolled her eyes at Regina's sudden decision to be prim and proper, "He seems like a bad boy, I bet it's amazing."

Regina sighed and raised an eyebrow as she rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin up with her hand, "It is."

"What are you going to do after you break out of your magic cusp?" Her friend raised a concerned eyebrow that proved she knew Regina better than she thought. "I hope you aren't planning anything that would undo all of the progress you've made in changing."

"All of the progress I made?" She scoffed bitterly at the fairy in front of her, "All of the work I put into becoming a better person and look where it got me. A house emptier than ever. So please, spare me your lecture."

Tinkerbell had watched her friend's internal struggle for years now and she often knew what Regina meant without her having to say one word. If Regina was going to fully convert back to the Evil Queen, she already would have by now and half the town would be obliterated. She felt her friend would make the right decision in the end, "Fair enough. Just know I'm here for you."


	9. Chapter 9

_i haven't forgotten this one :) i just don't have as much time to write and i have to stick with where my inspiration is for the sake of my stories. but i'm feeling something a little darker/smuttish and i thought it would be a great time to repay a visit to this one. you all still interested? let me know xoxo_

* * *

"Where did you get that scar?" James asked as he watched her read her spell book. He'd found her in the bottom of her vault on the floor, surrounded by ancient magic books and ended up sitting down with her to help scan through them for sections that could help them break the magic cusp. It had been a couple of hours now and he was past the point of boredom, allowing himself to get sidetracked with watching the beautiful creature beside of him.

"You promised you wouldn't talk," Regina didn't look at him, keeping her eyes on the book on her lap. Irritation laced her tone but he didn't really care, he was too fascinated with observing her. Her brows creased slightly in concentration and she troubled her bottom lip, ignoring his existence.

He'd managed to worm his way closer to her and when she'd untucked her legs from underneath herself to stretch them he'd guided them over his lap. It wasn't what he'd consider affection, he just wanted to touch her. She was the closest to physical perfection he'd ever seen and he just wanted to put his hands on her, to distract her from her studying, to lay her down and make her come on the floor of her vault.

"Just answer me," He rolled his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall behind him. Her shoulders raised and dropped as she sighed loudly to show her frustration.

"One of Leopold's rings," She answered without meeting his gaze, her voice and expression devoid of any emotion as she turned a page in the book.

He was somewhat shocked, never hearing anything but how kind of a person King Leopold was and how he'd taken care of his people. "He hit you? For what?" He couldn't help but ask another question. Never had he expected that anyone ever put their hands on someone as powerful as Regina, that she'd ever been anything but head strong and intimidating.

"Resisting him," She lifted her head from her book, looking at him with angry eyes and he knew he'd probed too much, "So he backhanded me so hard that it knocked me out and I came to bent over the side of the bed with him grunting behind me. Any more questions?"

He didn't usually consider himself an empathetic person, but his stomach turned for her. His mouth opened and he started to say he was sorry and reach out for her even though he has no experience at comforting people. The look on her face told him not to try, for it was probably as unnatural for her to accept comfort as it was for him to give it. "No, sorry," He mumbled, watching her gaze flick back to the book on her lap.

There was a flush to her neck and cheeks that wasn't there before and he has a feeling that the mention of these memories did much more to her than the casual way she'd just discussed it. He'd heard news of the King taking a new bride and that she was merely a teenager. It wasn't uncommon for men in that realm, it was a different time, but now that James knew the type of man he was it sickened him.

"Tell anyone and I'll kill you," She muttered without looking at him, scribbling something down on her notepad from one of the books.

"You never told anyone?" James asked, shifting a little uncomfortably with the knowledge she was opening up to him. He didn't know how to act, had never taken an interest in someone like this before. And here she was, this closed off, wounded creature, giving him a glimpse of how she came to be that way.

"No, Snow adored her father, and he is my son's great grand father and Emma's grand father. I won't ruin their memories or opinion of when he's already gone, it isn't fair. Plus it's humiliating," Regina frowned, sliding her legs from laying across his, tucking them back underneath her and breaking their contact, "So breathe a word of it to anyone and you're dead."

"Humiliating? You don't have anything to be ashamed of, he was a rapist and a pedophile," James frowned, finding himself trying to reassure her. He understood why she'd told him, he had pushed her until she was angry enough to try and shock and embarrass him with the harsh truth. "Did you at least make him pay for what he did?"

"I had him killed," Regina shut her book and busied herself with rearranging the stacks of ones they'd already been through beside her, "Do I have your word you won't speak of this? Whatever your word is worth," She muttered and he frowned, feeling himself offended.

"You do," He replied, biting back any sarcasm he felt like throwing her way, "I should head home before it gets too dark," He stated, setting the books near his lap to the side. She hadn't told him anything because she'd wanted to, she'd shared because he pushed her too hard and she was trying to get him to shut up. He took the cue, knowing it was time to go.

"Where are you even staying now?" Regina seemed to look him up and down, appraising his appearance for the first time that day, "The farmhouse is half burned down."

"The outbuilding beside the house has a cot in it," He shrugged, shoving himself up from the floor and brushing off his clothes as she did the same, "And the river is right there."

"And what have you been doing for money or food?" Her brows furrowed deeper as she stared at him, hands on her hips now. She was the most confusing woman he'd ever met, cold one minute and pushing him away and worried about where he was getting his meals with the next breath.

"I was stealing money at first but it ran out and as you know there's not a lot of businesses to rob in Storybrooke," He grinned and rolled his eyes, making light of his situation that was slowly growing more dire each day, "As for food I eat when I get the opportunity."

She frowned contemplatively for a moment, "That won't do. If you're going to help me with this time reversal I don't need you sleeping in some shed and starving. You can sleep here, but don't touch anything," She nodded towards the small bed in the other section of the vault, "And be at my house at six for dinner. You'll leave right after, I don't need company."

"Right after dinner or can I stay for dessert?" He smirked when she glared at him, closing the space between them, "Thank you, Your Majesty," He added as he gripped the back of her neck, pulling her up for a firm kiss.

"Please it's not because I care about you," Regina put a hand on his chest and broke the contact of their lips with a firm stare, "I have too much invested in this plan for you to croak now. I'm a business woman, I protect my assets."

He wasn't bothered by her distance, he understood it was one of her methods to keep him at arms length. It didn't bother him because he didn't care about her. _Right?_ "See you tonight, Queen."

* * *

Regina kept her head down in the store, focusing on getting what she needed for dinner and being done with this public outing. She hadn't been truly seen in town since they'd returned from the Underworld and she felt the eyes of everyone who recognized her. It was as if they were expecting her to set fire to the establishment at any moment.

Irritation at James grew inside of her, for it was because of him she was even making dinner in the first place. But she couldn't really be upset with him when she was the one who invited him, could she? She still didn't know what prompted her to tell him she'd cook for him or that he could sleep in her beloved vault. She couldn't stand him, he was really only good for sex, but she couldn't let him keep living the way he had been. Besides, at least when he was around the constant irritation and banter was enough to distract her from missing Robin.

"Regina?!" A familiar voice sent a shiver of irritation through Regina as she momentarily closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning. Snow approached her when she did, baby Neal on her hip and a grocery basket in her other hand. _At least she wouldn't try to hug her._

"Snow," She raised a brow, pressing her lips together in a half assed attempt at a smile.

"How are you? We've missed you," Her step-daughter gave her an empathetic smile, pity showing in her eyes.

There wasn't anything Regina hated more than being pitied. She was a Queen, _for christs sake_ , she was to be feared, not felt sorry for. She scoffed, averting her eyes and shifting the boxes of pasta in her arms, "How do you think I've been? But I see you all are getting along fine without me."

"Your lack of presence doesn't go unnoticed, Regina," Snow's tone softened and Regina could feel those big doe eyes staring at her even while avoiding her gaze. They were the same eyes Snow had used when she was a child, all earnest and innocent and had made Regina hate herself at first for even resenting the girl. "Henry misses you terribly. He know you're grieving, he understands but...he needs both of his mothers."

"Don't you think I know that?" She snapped, looking back at the younger woman and seeing Neal's eyes widen at her tone, making a hint of guilt creep up in her for scaring the baby. Damn Snow and her perfect life, her perfect marriage, perfect children. Why couldn't she just leave her alone? "I'm no good to Henry or anyone right now, I've done the responsible thing and kept myself away so you all could live your lives. Why must you insist on guilting me? After everything I think I deserve to grieve on my own terms."

"No one said you couldn't," Snow corrected herself, biting down on her bottom lip. It was strange the way her step-daughter looked at her sometimes, almost in a matronly way. Regina had cried in front of her before, had been comforted by the younger woman who had even given her motherly advice. She supposed in a way Snow White was more emotionally mature, had been allowed to grow into a mentally healthy woman without any severe tragedy to stunt her. Her demeanor was something Regina rolled her eyes at but also coveted. Snow was free to be openly affectionate, could give advice and comfort to people, wasn't afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. Regina had been like that once, but that girl lost much.

"We just miss you and want you to know that we're waiting for you when you're done doing whatever you need to do," Snow said with an earnest expression, looking at Regina for a long moment. She was giving her best hardened expression to the girl, but it didn't seem to bother her. She supposed Snow had put up with worse from her.

"Can I get back to my shopping now?" Regina rolled her eyes away from the woman when they glossed over with tears, hating how her step-daughter knew exactly how to get to her. She'd somehow learned how to deal with her over the past few years and understood exactly what pushed her buttons.

"Of course," Snow said with a gentle tone, hugging her son closer to her as she gave Regina a half hearted smile that she caught out of the corner of her eye.

* * *

"You're in a good mood," David smiled when he came into he and Mary Margaret's apartment, seeing their son in a high chair while his wife cooked. She glanced back at him as she turned from the stove with a smile on her face.

"I saw Regina today, she was in the grocery store," Snow chirped as she picked up a tomato to begin to slice it, shrugging her shoulders matter of factly.

"How is she? Did you talk to her?" Her husband came closer, closing the distance with long strides as he took a seat on one of the stools at the counter across from her.

"A little bit. She was irritable and feisty, but she's still in there David. I don't think she's going to revert into the Evil Queen, she's come too far. And even though she's angry and resentful right now, she knows deep down that we're here for her," She nodded with a hopeful expression, "She's going to be okay."

"Good, I'm glad," He nodded in relief, letting out a deep breath, "What?" He raised a brow at the hint of a smile on her lips.

"She was buying stuff to make dinner, and had a bottle of wine in her arms," Snow raised her brows before frowning at her husband who looked back at her cluelessly. "She's cooking dinner for someone! I think it's your brother."

"What?" He scoffed, raising a brow of his own, "Just because she's grocery shopping you thinks he's having dinner with James? That's a stretch."

"No, you don't know her like I do. When she's depressed she doesn't eat, just drinks and has the occasional piece of toast," Snow shook her head quickly, "She never ate meals when we lived at the castle. I know she's the same way now because she's so thin. And I mean, who else would she be having dinner with?"

"This could be a disaster," David muttered with a roll of his eyes, "James isn't a good guy, his intentions with Regina are probably not honorable ones."

"I don't know, they have a lot in common, David," Snow said with hopeless optimism, "They could be exactly what each other need right now."

"Or they could feed off of each other's darkness," He said with a more concerned expression, causing Snow to look at him contemplatively, "Look I believe you when you say Regina will be all right, I feel like she has come far and that she's going to get through this. But with someone like him hanging around in such a delicate time..."

"Maybe just talk to him, see what he says," Snow shrugged, her optimism returning, "I think it has potential."

* * *

James made his way down Regina's street, hands in his pocket at the cool air. He was glad she'd offered him to stay in her vault, it was a hell of a lot warmer and the weather was getting nippy. His pride was a little wounded at the fact she was putting a roof over his head and feeding him, but then again what did it matter? It was all about survival, and if he had someone willing to do it for him then why not?

His daydreaming was cut short when he spotted his twin's truck parked a few houses down from Regina's, souring his mood instantly. David's driver door opened and he stepped out, casually nudging the door shut behind him before rounding the front of the truck as James approached, "What brings you to the neighborhood?"

"What brings _you_ here?" James asked but he already knew the answer. His brother was checking up on him like the self righteous moron that he was, hands on his hips near his gun and his useless badge. How could they honestly believe the law in this town was any use when they had powerful sorcerer's like Regina and Gold in it?

"Making the rounds," David shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing him for a moment, "You going to Regina's by any chance?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, to be honest," James smiled fakely, letting out a deep breath and seeing it in the cold air, "If you'll excuse me, dear brother."

"Not so fast," He held up a hand with a frown, "It is my business. I allowed you to stay in this town under the agreement that you not cause any problems and you stay away from the people. If you're not telling me what you're up to, I can only assume it's not something good."

"I'm going to Regina's to eat some fucking lasagna," He rolled his eyes at the idiot who shared his DNA, "And work on diabolical plan to destroy Storybrooke," He added in a mocking tone with a smug grin, "Can I go now?" It wasn't far from the truth, but David didn't know that.

"Look," David's frown grew deeper and James sensed one of his hero lectures were coming, "Regina is in a bad place right now and although she may not seem like it she is vulnerable. Don't take advantage of that."

James inwardly twinged for a moment, wondering if that's what he had been doing. Regina was technically still grieving, though it was hard to tell with the wall she kept up at all times. _Had he been taking advantage of her in a weak time? Was she only sleeping with him because she was lonely? Was the Queen not as strong as he thought?_ "What happens between Regina and I is exactly that. Between Regina and I," He frowned, brushing past his brother to keep going down the street.

"She's family at this point, James," He heard David say behind him, "If you hurt her, we hurt you."

* * *

"The Charmings know I'm here tonight," James threw her down on the bed, jerking her hips to the edge as he started to ruck up her dress, seeing the frown appear on her otherwise flushed features. They'd started to fool around in the dining room after finishing the bottle of wine, both of them buzzed and aroused and ready to go. "He stopped me down the street and questioned my intentions with you."

"Did you tell him your intention was to fuck me until I pass out?" She grinned wickedly, spreading her legs for him when he got her dress around her waist and he groaned with the realization she was not wearing anything underneath.

"No," He smirked, running his hands up her thighs and over her hips before gripping the dress and pulling it the rest of the way over her head. She pressed her heels on the edge of the bed, bending her legs at the knees and giving him a view that made him throb in his pants. "He said I was taking advantage of you in a vulnerable time."

"Charming doesn't know that the fuck he's talking about," She rolled her eyes, reaching between her parted knees to grip the edge of his shirt as he bent over her, letting her pull it over his head, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of himself," She grit out with an exhaled breath of defiance.

"So you're doing this because you want to? Not to just fill a void?" James asked as he stepped up between her legs at the edge of the bed, running his hands down her thigh until he saw her sit up quickly.

"Fill what void? The one caused when you stole my soulmates heart?" She sniped with a bitter smile at the reminder, pressing one of her feet against his chest and shoving him backwards with a change of mood so sudden he did not see it coming.

"What the fuck, Regina? I was just repeating what David said to see if there was any truth behind it," He frowned when he stumbled back against her dresser, regaining his footing. She stood from the bed, grabbing her silk robe and jerking it on her arms, leaving it gaping on her chest.

"Who do you think you are? Causing his death and then having the nerve to ask me if I'm fucking you because of a void or because I really want you," She laughed bitterly, "What do you think? Of course I'd rather have Robin! You think I actually care about you?"

He frowned deeply, hating the fact that her words stung him. It had been a good evening, they'd had dinner, he'd even helped clean up. Everything was very domestic, very unlike both of them. They'd gotten along, their banter was even less biting than normal and they'd talked about the past, but nothing too deep because they weren't sharing people. During all of it he'd let his guard down, had forgotten that they were just fucking, "Forgive me for wondering if I may be taking advantage of a grieving woman, I forgot for a moment what a coldhearted bitch you are."

A small palm came in contact with his cheek unexpectedly and he hissed. The bitch always used her claws at the end and he was sure he had a scratch near his jaw line. He grabbed her wrist and she snarled at him, trying to loosen herself from his grip. "Fuck you, you're nothing but a pathetic piece of meat I use to distract myself with," She spat up at him challengingly and he could tell she was using whatever she could to get to him in the moment.

"Because you're a monster and no one else is willing to come near you," He growled, jerking her towards him by her wrists and watching fear flicker across her features when she looked at the cuff on her wrist and realized she had nothing to defend herself against him. Her eyes grew slightly wider and she swallowed at a lump in her throat as he leered over her, all of his anger dissipating when she winced at his sudden movement, as if bracing herself for a blow.

"Regina..." He sighed when she took a step back and her legs hit the bed, reaching out to steady her as she averted her face from his gaze, "I wouldn't..you know I wouldn't actually...hurt you," He admitted, causing her to look up at him with eyes so full of pain it almost took his breath away. It was as if all of her life's heartbreak was in her gaze, eyes glossy with unshed tears, memories of pain and abuse replaying behind them, feeling the grief of lost loved ones. She looked at him as if she'd never actually looked at him before and for a moment he felt like she was seeing him; who he truly was without his evil reputation following him around. Of course, who better to understand that than her?

She reached up then, still naked and looking small as she sat on the bed, cupping the back of his neck and pulling him down towards her. Her eyes closed when their faces neared, pressing her lips to his in a firm kiss as she laid onto her back and he came overtop of her, wrapping an arm under her waist to scoot her up the bed as he crawled on it. The tension between them changed instantly, transforming from misdirected anger at one another to a deeper understanding and the need to connect.

"Don't talk," She whispered, bringing her knees up his sides and wrapping around his bare torso. He groaned in response, kissing her hungrier as he reached down between them with one hand to undo his belt and jeans, feeling her feet pushing them down his thighs once he got them undone.

James kissed over her neck and chest desperately, needing to work her up as quickly as he could for he knew they were both anxious for it. He settled between her legs once his cock was free, rubbing the length of it over her wet sex, groaning into her neck with the grinding of their hips. She let out little sighs and breathless moans near his ear, her hands running over his chest and shoulders, wrapping an arm around his own and hooking her hand on his shoulder to keep him close.

They avoided lifting their gazes enough to look each other in the eyes, knowing that the intimacy between them startled them both. Neither one of them liked to share or talk about their feelings, but they were aware that whatever was going on between them was more than fucking. They had a deeper appreciation for one another, their similarities allowing them to understand each other even though they'd never intended to.

Regina moaned, reaching with both hands to cup his face and give him a searing kiss as he pushed his cock fully inside of her welcoming heat. He swiped her lips with his tongue before she let it dip into her mouth, sighing into his when she opened her lips fully and their tongues caressed. Her legs locked around his waist as he started to rock into her at a slower pace than usual, pulling out just slightly before sinking back into her. Fingers found his hair and she pulled and tugged at it while they kissed, exploring each other's mouths with a fervor that hadn't been before as they settled into a rhythm.

".. _Yes_ ," She cried quietly into his mouth when his hands gripped her bottom, tilting her hips up towards him, causing her legs to spread a little wider and allowing him to thrust deeper. Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, keeping his forehead pressed against hers and their mouths lingering when he added more force behind his slow thrust, hitting a spot inside of her that had her coiling quickly. He could tell by the way her stomach muscles contracted, the way her hips curled against his sloppily as she lost control and the whimpers that escaped her throat that she was about to come.

"That's it," He whispered back, no teasing or cocky grin on his face like usual, just an honest beckoning for her to give into the pleasure. He slipped a hand between them as he continued to hit her with firm, steady thrusts, his fingers finding her wet little bundle of nerves. Her brows furrowed and she gasped, eyes closed and mouth parted as he lifted his face just inches from hers to watch her more closely. He'd never been with someone so magnificent, someone who consumed him the way she did when he was inside of her. "Let go, Regina," He said with a hoarse, breathless voice as he rubbed faster circles on her clit, feeling her jerk in response.

"Mmm," She pressed her lips together firmly as the moan reverberated in her throat, back arching from the bed a few inches, "I'm.. _oh god,_ yes.." She whimpered underneath him as her whole body started to writhe, causing him to grip her ass tighter as he kept a steady pace, hitting her with more force each time and making her choke on the sounds she made. There was nothing more breathtaking in the world than watching her come undone and he did, despite how much he wanted to collapse against her and start pounding into her, despite how breathless he was and how much he wanted to blow inside of her. He held her hips up with one hand, teasing her clit with the other an continued to drive into her, feeling her fingertips grasping at his shoulders, digging her nails in a little as she started to tense.

Her body went rigid underneath him and she clung to his frame desperately when her hips shook, curling up towards him desperately as his name came out of her mouth in a loud cry. That beautiful dark hair was thrown back when her back arched so hard her shoulders lifted from the bed, heels digging into his ass as she ground herself into him. He cursed out loud at how tightly she clenched around his cock, causing him to jerk a few more times before spilling himself deeply inside of her as she writhed underneath him. Both of his hands gripped the flesh of her bottom, keeping himself sheathed inside of her fully as her body jerked and twitched through the aftershock of her orgasm.

He collapsed on his elbows, body pressed against her but not allowing his full weight to lay on her petite frame. The only sound in the room was their labored breathing, his cock still buried inside of her as he pressed his face into her neck and inhaled her scent. Much to his surprise her arms stayed wrapped around his shoulders, one hand in his hair.

"Will you stay?" A small voice asked near his ear, the question that would be so casual to most sounding so intimate between them.

"Yes."


	10. Chapter 10

_i haven't forgotten about this one :) let me know what you're thinkin xxx_

* * *

Regina woke to a slight headache, the wine she'd had the night before at dinner leave her a little dry mouthed. She groaned at the sunlight peeping in her bedroom curtains, wished it would go away so she wouldn't have to face another day. Her eyes remained shut in protest, rolling from her back towards the middle of her bed to sprawl on her stomach, realization of last night's activities hitting her when she landed on a hard body.

Her eyes popped open, an instant frown appearing on her brow when she heard a grunt from said body in her bed beneath her, finding herself face to face with James, "What are you still doing here?" She griped, voice groggy from sleep.

James groaned, his own eyes opening to look up at the Queen who practically laid on top of him, "Good morning to you, too," His eyebrow raised in matched grumpiness, though his arm curled up over her side and back as her chest laid against his.

"You didn't answer my question," Regina gritted through her teeth, knowing she must look a state. Her hair was tangled, face bare and she was stark naked, pressed against the man in an intimate position. Her neck flushed with embarrassment as the memory came back to her, realizing she'd asked him to stay in a vulnerable moment. She saw his mouth begin to open, knowing he was about to retort that same fact and she snapped quickly with a huff, "Shutup."

James only smirked in response, eyes crinkling at the sides as he tucked his free arm behind his head and his bicep came into her view. He looked comfortable and completely at ease and it irked her that he felt he had the upper hand because of her slip up. He seemed to sense her tension, though, seemed to understand that it wasn't something she found funny and it was best to ignore the fact she'd asked him to stay.

"I see you get your chipper morning mood from your mother," James changed the subject, keeping his arm wrapped around her in a way that made Regina tense at first, causing her to put her forearm against his chest to keep herself from completely laying down on him. "Everyone knew not to even look her in the eyes before she had her morning coffee at Underworld's version of Granny's. Everyone would walk a wide circle around her on the street. Except me, I'm not scared of snippy royal women."

She narrowed her eyes at his comment, feeling him give his arm around her a playful squeeze, eyes barely open when he looked up from his pillow with a lazy smile. "I wasn't aware you spent time with my mother in the Underworld," She replied, acting entirely uninterested, slowly allowing herself to relax in the position, chin coming to rest on her arm that laid over his chest.

"I was the only one who wouldn't cower to her, I think she liked it to be honest," He grinned, "If there's anything that gets under you Mills women's skin it's someone who gives your sass back to you."

Regina snorted, giving one of her well trained eye rolls as she looked back to him, "Please."

"Worked on you, didn't it?" _Smug bastard._

"Don't you have a cash register to be robbing or something?" She jabbed, rolling off of his chest and onto her back beside him in the bed with a dramatic sigh.

She heard him laugh then, a genuine one, rich and from his belly, making her own do an annoying flutter. He rolled onto his side, propping his head up on his hand as he looked at her and she blatantly avoided meeting his gaze, "You know what always used to make me laugh? Your mother would storm down the streets and into the diner, usually having something to complain about. But if she was really irritated, she would rant and rave about how if you were the leader in that town instead of Hades that things would go a _hell of a lot smoother_ and that you were a better ruler than any of the idiots down there."

"She said that?" Regina glanced at him then, not entirely believing him at first. Her mother was never the one for compliments, normally the opposite. Her criticism had ruined her self esteem as a young girl, had prevented her from having a backbone until it was too late and she was trapped in a life she didn't want.

"Yeah, she obviously thought pretty highly of you," He shrugged one shoulder, looking back at her with an honest expression before it turned mischievous again, "Of course I never understood why..."

"Fuck off," She groaned and rolled her eyes again, though a faint smile played on her lips when she turned her head to stare back up at the ceiling, "I'm just like her, my mother. I always said I never wanted to be anything like her, but I am. Ended up just as twisted and cold and stunted as she ever was. Maybe more."

"You're not that bad, and it's not like it isn't without reason," James frowned, not knowing why he was attempting to make her feel better about herself. It was like he felt the urge to build her up when he was around her and it was the opposite of his usual instincts with others, "I understand you," He shrugged and earned a chuckle from Regina.

"If that isn't a sign."

"Hey, it's not like my baggage isn't well earned either," He said rather defensively, not knowing why her reply got under his skin.

Regina glanced at him then, hearing the bite in his tone and genuinely felt bad for a moment that she'd offended him, "I know that, don't be so sensitive. Trust me, I spent some time with King George. You have a reason to be as fucked up as you are."

"A real peach, wasn't he?"

"Our parents loved us in their own ways," She sighed, gazing off at the light fixture above her bed.

James continued to watch her avoid looking at him, his eyes traveling over the angles of her face, slope of her neck, arch of her brow, "I don't think it was ever about love with George."

"He loved you," Regina reassured him, for that much she knew. "I paid a visit shortly after you had died..well, not that I knew it then seeing as your idiot twin replaced you. But he looked deathly ill, was morose, I could barely speak with him about affairs between the kingdoms without him screaming or ignoring me. Looking back now it would've been after your death."

"How do you know that?" James watched her face intently now, seeing her eyes flick over at him.

"Because your brother met with us. You never did, you were always off fighting in the courtyard or whoring about in the villages. And David, of course, was the perfect gentlemen, was actually present, and George was harsh with him. It all makes sense now. So yes, he loved you in his own way."

"Hmm," He contemplated it, rolling over onto his back as well to join her in her gaze at the ceiling, "He was a bastard, but he was the only person who ever cared bout me. His own brand of caring, albeit. Just like your mom."

"They wanted the best for us, or what they thought was the best for us."

"In a weird way, they probably cared about us more than anybody ever will," James suggested, glancing over at the Queen who seemed skeptic, "I mean it, in their own twisted way, they were willing to make us unhappy in order to try to do what they thought was best for us. Isn't it the essence of all parenting? But they took it to the extreme, like they did all things...Like we do all things."

"You may have a point," Regina mulled it over, appreciating the way his mind worked. It was unexpected from a man who seemed so callous and shallow to be such a deep thinker. He was like her in more ways than she cared to admit. "I scare myself because I adopted Henry, like George with you. And for years I was hard on him, held him to this high standard out of love, but he didn't understand it. Then his mother who abandoned him comes along and she's suddenly the best mom in the world. She is good with him, I suppose, but part of me was still hurt by it. Would you really of not went back to your biological parents given the chance?"

"No," He answered plainly, "George was the one who raised me, he made the effort. They gave me up. No matter his faults, I respected George for that. As I'm sure Henry does you, or will as he gets older."

"He's an amazing kid. I think he already knows, we've gotten much closer over the years, since Emma came actually," She admitted before biting her lip at the current situation, "I don't deserve him. After everything I've done, after how I've pushed him away now. He's so good and I.." Her voice trailed off as she swallowed at the pesky lump in her throat, refusing to let her voice wobble in front of James.

"If he's that great then he understands what you're going through and he won't take it personally," He reassured her again. _Since when did this become a habit of his?_ "It'll all be fine, Regina. Especially when we can enact this time reversal curse and erase his biological mother's entire existence. Then you'll have him to yourself."

Regina swallowed hard at the thought, self doubt starting to creep up inside of her. The plan sounded brilliant when they'd first come up with it, when she'd been angry. As time passed she'd cooled, her grief becoming less of a fire underneath her. If she reversed time, went back to how it was before the curse was broken, she'd have lost all of he memories she'd made. She'd forever lose the bonds she'd formed with the people she now called family, whether she was speaking to them right now or not. Her friendships would be gone, she'd go back to being lonely with a son who didn't understand her, who feared and hated her.

But on the other hand, if she went through with this, no one would know of the grief she carried. Robin's death, his entire presence in Storybrooke would be erased and maybe it would be easier to move on. Maybe without the pity in people's eyes she wouldn't be constantly reminded of the thief who betrayed her and then died before he even apologized. Her son would no longer remember how she'd pushed him away, how she'd abandoned him for months because she'd lost a man she loved. Henry wouldn't know that she'd let her grief over a lover come in between their relationship. She'd carry her broken heart silently as she did before the spell was broken, when she covered up the fact that she was a mess inside with business attire and a threatening smile.

"Earth to Regina?" James was staring at her then, bringing her out of her thoughts, "How close are we to getting this thing off of you?" He asked, picking her wrist up and examining the cuff on it.

"I think I found something after you left the vault last night that will help us," She let out a breath, "I'll go get the book and the black diamond later today from my vault and we'll work on getting the cuff off tonight."

"And the reversal spell? You have what you need to do that?" James asked, watching her shift and seem reluctant, watched the way her brows furrowed in doubt. If she really wanted her son to herself then he was going to help her, but he understood that being surrounded by heroes all of this time had affected her and she now struggled with the moral dilemma. If she needed a push, that's what he'd give her.

"Yes," Regina sighed. She knew were the ingredients were, she had most of them. There was only one thing she'd have to swipe from Rumple's shop and then they'd be set. It would be easy, though, and she could probably convince him to trade her for it if she couldn't steal it and get away with it.

"So by tonight, we'll be the most powerful people in this entire town?" James smirked at the idea, rolling ontop of her suddenly and spreading her thighs to settle in between.

She grinned up at him, seeing the malicious glint in his eyes and feeling it warm her insides. It was almost erotic to recognize that darkness in someone, to be able to celebrate it and revel in it without being looked down on, "Does that make you hard?" Regina smirked, running her hands up his muscled back as she drew her thighs up his sides, allowing him access to her.

"Mmm, mhm," James groaned with a mischievous grin as he began to grind his half stiff member along her folds, both of them still bare under the covers, "And I know power turns you on, Regina," He brought his lips down to her ear, brushing over it slowly before starting to plant kisses over her neck, "Just think, you'll have this whole town in the palm of your hand again. Everyone will answer to you."

He ran his hands own, slipping them under her ass and tilting her sex up against him as he ground harder, "And I'll be the new sheriff, except I won't be your pet. I'll fuck you senseless every night but you'll respect me. Doesn't that excite you? To finally meet your equal in all aspects?"

She let out a groan as she started to get wet at this words and his kisses, feeling his shaft slide against her sex with more ease, "Who says you're my equal?" She smirked breathlessly, hands gripping his shoulder blades as she dug her heels into his lower back and started to grind with him.

"Something tells me that in the way you beg," James murmured against her skin at the way she hissed her response, grunting as he reached down between them, tips of his fingers finding her sensitive little bud while his mouth worked on her neck, "The way you plead me not to stop when I pound you and you say that sweet little _oh please_ before you cry out in my ear."

"Mmm," She moaned, eyes closing as her hips curled when his fingers found her clit, feeling his erection poking at her entrance, "Stop teasing, James. I swear to god-"

He smirked and pressed his fingers against her clit more firmly, rubbing it in fast circles and hearing her whimper and forget what she was saying, "You're so sexy," He lifted his head and watched her face contort, her lips part and her brows scrunch as her hips worked harder with his fingertips.

"Fu-" Regina groaned when he started to wiggle his hand in quick jerky motions, vibrating his fingers on her clit, " _Oh, mm, yes! Keep going_ ," She gasped, panting now, hips working, mouth open before crying out a breathy sound from deep within her throat when he made her come. He could get her off with his fingers almost as quickly as she could herself, _and she'd had plenty of years to perfect that._

James smirked, watching her breathing heavily before nudging her onto her stomach when she was still too awestruck to become irritated or defiant at him taking the lead. He watched her as he grabbed a pillow from beside him and lifted her hips just enough to slip it under, propping her hips to open her more for him in this position. She laid her head to the side on the mattress, arms bent and fingers gripping the sheets near her shoulders as she enjoyed the fading tremors from her orgasm.

"You're so wet," He groaned as he looked down at her round ass on display for him, dragging his fingers from the front of her slit to the end, spreading her juices and pulling a moan out of her.

"Hurry up," She demanded, not minding this position but wishing he'd cut it out with the suspense. He was a big boy and he was going to feel amazing this way, not to mention her breasts pressing into the mattress allowing just enough friction with her nipples and _oh, there he was,_ "Fuck!" She hissed when he pushed himself inside of her.

"My god," He nearly blew in her once he'd taken her fully, his knees keeping her own apart enough for him as his hands pressed into the mattress near each side of her head. James leaned over her, rocking into her once and causing them to both groan at the tight fit, "You feel so good, Regina," He could tell she agreed, saw the way he eyes screwed shut and her knuckles turned white with her grip of the sheets.

There wasn't much she could do to help in this position but he didn't seem to mind, feeling him pull out halfway before sinking back into her. They both groaned with each thrust, the heat in her belly starting to pool and liquify again. Her nipples grazed the sheets below her when he began to rut into her, bringing one of her hands up to press against the headboard to keep herself from moving up the bed with the intensified thrusts.

"Take it, baby," James coaxed near her ear, seeing her bracing herself as her mouth opened, choking on cries as they both began to rapidly reach their peak. She was slippery wet, their skin slapping and sliding together, his hands digging into the mattress as his chest grazed her back when he pushed harder and deeper, hearing her guttural moan spurn him on.

"James!" She choked before her body tensed around him, her second orgasm gripping her unexpectedly. Regina's hips bucked back against him, ripping a groan from his throat when he sank deeper, pulling him towards the edge with her as her muscles milked his cock, clenching and straining and shuddering around him. He let out a groan of his own as he buried his face in between her shoulder blades, filling her with cum with his last deep thrust.

Their labored breathing was the only sound to be heard for a few moments as his arms began to shake, forcing him down on his forearms, front pressing into her back but not allowing all of his weight on her as he tried to recover, "If that doesn't make you want to rule this realm, nothing will." He joked and smirked into her skin, feeling her chest vibrate with a soft chuckle and he knew. _He'd met his match._

* * *

Regina picked up the spell book from the floor of her vault, dusting it off and studying the cover of it. It was an old one Rumple gave her, containing a spell that should help her use the black diamond to get the cusp off of her wrist. James would have to help, of course, but at this point she felt she could trust him. He didn't have any real magic of his own and he wasn't skilled enough to use the black diamond by himself without getting hurt. _She'd remind him of that if he got any bright ideas._

As the hours ticked on she was beginning to get a little nervous, thinking about how much everything would change once she'd managed to do this. A million emotions swirled inside of her, changing her mood from one minute to the next and nudging her towards insanity. James was intent on taking their plan all the way through. Why wouldn't he be? He had no emotional ties to the current state of things. He wouldn't be losing any friendships or family members.

James would make out just fine, in fact, better than fine. He'd have a job, be respected and feared. With that would come a roof over his head and food in his stomach. Of course he wanted to go through with this plan. But she had more to think about, more at stake. If she went through with this, she would've made the choice to revert back to the Evil Queen. She was the one who put curses on people, who destroyed lives and tore people apart.

She sighed as she set the book down on her table and went over to the section of her vault where she stored the hearts, activating one of the drawers to pop out the box with the black diamond in it. The dark magic began to pull at her as soon as the box was in her hands _and it intoxicating_. It tempted her, caressing her senses, practically vibrating in her grasp. When she opened it the power nearly took her breath away.

But she wasn't this person anymore. She'd tried so hard to make up for what she'd done to those she loved and to everyone else. These people had started to trust her again, had been kind and forgiving. The past years had been spent repenting and making things right. Her loved ones, the people she now called family, had helped her heal. Could she truly call herself a Queen if she let the death of someone who betrayed her, who diminished her self worth as Robin did, bring her to the point of destroying everything she'd worked so hard to build?

Regina shook her head, closing the top of the box quickly and shoving it back into it's place in the wall. She couldn't do this, not to Henry, not to the Charmings, not to Emma Swan and that stupid pirate of hers. She couldn't do this to herself. Regina would find some occupation for James, make sure he got a second chance at life, but she was not going to do this.

"Second thoughts, Deary?" A familiar voice put her on edge immediately, causing her to spin around and see Gold just a few feet from her, hands resting on his cane and a slithery smile on his lips.

"What are you doing here?" She frowned deeply, shoulders squaring for confrontation.

"You didn't honestly think you and that delinquent brother of Prince Charming's could harbor my gem and get away with it, could you?" He practically hissed, his eyes growing a few shades darker but still full of malicious sarcasm.

"I don't know what you're-"

"Ah, ah ah, don't insult me, Regina," He raised a finger in the air and grimaced, "You know better than that. Hand it over, now."

"What do you want with it? I think it's best if we leave it here and agree neither of us will touch it," She tried to compromise, something she wouldn't normally do with Gold if she had her magic to back her up.

"Well, you see I have an idea of what you were about do with this little diamond," He stepped closer, eyes burning holes in her and she knew he could read her thoughts, knew he was aware of her entire plan, "And I know that after all of that time spent being a hero that you're too weak to do what needs to be done now to restore this town to the way it should be," He spoke through gritted teeth, "You don't have the... _heart,_ so to speak."

"Why do you want things to be the way they were?" Regina tried to remain outwardly calm, though she saw the intent in his eyes. She knew he was serious and without her magic she couldn't stop him. "You'll be no more powerful."

"That's where you're wrong, Deary. See, if things are the way they once were, that means you are who you once were. A powerful ruler, the Evil Queen," He eyed her like she was the precious diamond itself, "You were much more useful then than you are now...all full of moral hangups and...that cuff..the thing that prevents you from doing anything to stop me when I do this," He reached out suddenly, shoving his hand into Regina's chest and knocking the wind out of her as he gripped her heart, pulling it out along with a loud gasp. She stumbled, falling back against the wall and clutching at the pain that radiated as she tried to catch her breath.

Voices began to whisper to her immediately, stronger than they ever were when she was the Evil Queen. Rumple was in control of her actions now, toying with her mind by controlling her heart. His darkness was much more wicked than she'd ever been, but it it had the same chilling effect. She felt her emotions slowly begin to drain away, the things that made her Regina instead of the evil witch she once was fading with every second her heart was in Gold's possession. He owned her now, he would see to it that she gave into every dark desire within her and he would use the Evil Queen to his advantage.

"You see deary, things will go back to the way they were and you will go back to the magnificent monster you were," He talked in a cheery tone that told he was proud of himself, waltzing over to the shelf that held the black diamond. Regina felt the suffocating darkness rush through her like adrenaline when Rumple gave her heart a squeeze in his palm, "And I will be in control of that monster," He said, lifting the box from the shelf and turning to set it on the podium, flipping it open.

"The most beautiful dark diamond and the most beautiful dark monster," He marveled as he picked up the diamond with his free hand and studied it beside her beating heart, "I'll indeed be much more powerful."


	11. Chapter 11

_thanks for following this story ;) this chapter is three times longer than usual. Please review xxx_

* * *

"Hey, it's about time you two got here," Snow's cheery smile beamed from behind her menu as Emma and Henry came into the diner, sitting down in the booth with she and David. "Where's Hook?"

"He's feeling a little under the weather," Emma rolled her eyes with a laugh, "He won't admit it, but I think he and his friends overindulged during guy's night."

"Setting a great example for my grandson, I see," David crossed his arms with a haughty raise of his brows, earning an eye roll and nudge from his wife.

"Anyways, you'll never guess who the newest friendship in Storybrooke is between," Her mother's eyes danced with delight and she inwardly groaned at how eager she was to spread town gossip, "I saw Regina at the grocery store the other day, buying groceries for dinner."

"...And this is news, why?" The Savior raised an eyebrow at her parents, seeing David with a slightly disgruntled frown on his face while Snow practically radiated.

"Because she was making dinner for someone," She replied with a quick shake of her head as if to show her impatience with her daughter's slow uptake, "And then your father saw James making his way to her home. _For lasagna_."

"And you think they're...because she made him dinner?" Emma scoffed, "Regina would never go for him. She barely went for Robin and he was a way better person than my dear Uncle."

"Regardless, it's good that she's not just spending her time alone," Snow cocked her head to the side, "Maybe she's not headed down the dark path that we thought she was."

Henry cleared his throat then, causing all of them to glance his way, "I went to her vault a few weeks ago," He shrugged, seeing Emma's eyes widen and her lips part, "What? She wouldn't hurt me."

"I just had no idea, kid," Emma shook her head quickly, staring at him in interest, "What did she have to say?"

"Not much, I did most of the talking," He swept his gaze over the three of them as he spoke, "She's not going to turn dark again, I know she won't. She wouldn't do anything to hurt me and she won't admit it, but she loves you all too. We're her family and we don't have to worry about her doing anything rash."

"I hope you're right, Grandson," Rumple's voice startled them all from conversation, finding him standing at the end of the table with his hand resting on his cane, "But I caught her storming down Main Street just a moment ago and..." He nodded towards the windows of the diner at the impending darkness, clouds rapidly covering the town and blocking out the sun, "It's not looking good."

"What's going on?" Emma pushed her chair back with a screech against the floor, standing from the table.

"Let's just say that the black diamond that I once held safely in my keep is no longer in my control," Rumple looked pointedly at David, "Neither is it in yours."

"Regina has the diamond?" Snow's eyes widened, glancing at her husband, "I thought you hid it."

"I did!"

"What's she plan to do with it?" Swan's eyes widened as she looked to Rumple for answers.

"That remains to be seen," Gold shifted his gaze to the darkness outside, "However, the Evil Queen is accompanied by the Evil Twin, so I can assume that whatever they are up to is not going to end well for us."

"James is a part of this?" David growled, hand on his gun instantly as he bounded towards the door.

"Dad wait!" Emma took off after him, the rest of them following towards the exit of the diner. Snow stopped on the sidewalk, holding Henry back by his arm as David and Emma ran to the middle of the street. Gold remained to the side near Snow and Henry, though no one paid attention with the scene unfolding in the middle of the pavement.

"Regina, you okay?" James glanced at her when he saw the heroes approaching, seeing her eyes devoid of any type of emotion when she looked their way. She'd been cool and detached ever since she'd called him to say she'd managed to get the cuff off. She was almost robotic, even without her dark sense of humor that was usually prevalent no matter what the situation.

"Fine, just making sure we have an audience," Regina glanced at him, smiled wickedly behind the wind of the swirling black diamond, picking up force and beginning to glow as it hovered between her hands, "If we're going to do this, we may as well go with a bang," She snickered, eyes lighting up when she looked back at the gem turning purple as it vibrated under her palms.

"Regina, what are you doing?" Emma yelled through the noise and force of the wind that swirled around she and James from the diamond. David held his daughter back by the arm, not allowing her to get close enough to the tunnel that was forming around the villains as the diamond slowly began to activate.

"You took my life from me," Regina screamed over the noise as the ground beneath them began to vibrate, "You took my son from me, you took my revenge from me, you took Robin from me. You all did!" She glared at the crowds that began to form on either side of the street.

"Whatever you have planned, don't do it Regina," David spoke loudly but in a calm tone as he put a hand up, attempting to inch closer as he held Emma behind him, "You've come too far. You both have," He glanced at James then but he did not look back.

James eyes were fixed on Regina, sensing something was not right with her. He'd felt unease at the way she'd insisted they do this today, suddenly being urgent to enact their plan when he'd noticed her hesitation lately at the idea. It was like she was being controlled by something or someone other than herself, all traces of the deeply buried warmth and emotion gone from her.

"Mom!" Henry yelled then, running towards the middle of the street despite the rest of his family yelling for him to stay back, "It's all right, she won't hurt me," He insisted as he approached Regina.

"Henry, stay back," The Queen hissed at him, throwing a malevolent glare that noticeably stung him when he frowned. Henry continued walking towards her, disregarding her warning, making James grow uneasy. David and Emma watched Henry, obviously believing that Regina would not hurt her son. But James knew that something was amiss, his concern growing exponentially when he glanced up to see Rumple standing near the edge of the street observing.

"Mom, why are you doing this?" The boy frowned as he ignored Regina's demand, coming closer to he reach out and place a hand on her arm.

"For us, Henry!" Regina nearly screamed, causing the ground beneath them to shake thunderously, pavement cracking and crowd gasping all around them.

"I don't want this, Mom, whatever you have planned," He frowned, stepping up in front of her, "Give me the diamond," He demanded and James watched her eyes glitter with anger. He'd noticed the love in her eyes when she'd spoken about her son before and it was not present now. Another glance towards Gold told him that he was the puppet master behind whatever was happening here. She was not in control of herself.

"Don't make me hurt you, Henry," She warned through clenched teeth, hands still vibrating around the diamond.

"Regina!" Emma yelled with a warning frown, stepping in front of her father and David allowed it.

"Regina, what's going on?" James asked her from his place beside her, watching her stare Henry down and ignore his question entirely. The mother and son were having a stand off, the boys hands coming closer to his mothers as she snarled and gave him a menacing look. He suddenly reached in to grab the rock in an attempt to thwart her plan and she retaliated, her hand coming up as magic spouted from her palms, throwing him backwards to land on the pavement without any change in her expression.

"That's it!" The boy's other mother growled, her own hands coming up to cast a thick stream of magic towards Regina, catching the Queen off guard. Emma's white hot beam hit her in the chest, causing the energy that Regina was activating the diamond with to practically explode in front of her from the interaction of the light and dark magic. Regina was knocked unconscious by the blow, her body being thrown back to land on the pavement with a thud.

"Stop it! Can't you see she's not in control of herself?!" James yelled at Emma when her magic continued to pour from her hands to Regina's lifeless form on the ground. He ran to her, putting himself between her body and the magic, shielding her as he fell onto his knees with a thud. Emma's magic hit him like a boulder for a few seconds before she ceased it, causing him to grimace as he slumped over the woman who'd taken the hit for much longer than he had. If she wasn't dead, she had to be close to it.

"What in the hell is going on?" David frowned, approaching the two of them as Snow and Emma tended to Henry, helping him up from the street. James glared up at his twin as he cradled Regina's head in his lap.

"Why don't you ask the man who's suddenly disappeared with the diamond?" He nodded towards where Gold had stood only moments ago. David's mouth dropped at Rumple being gone before his eyes flitted over to where the diamond had landed, finding the street now bare.

"Is she okay?" Snow asked, closing the distance between them to stand beside her husband, Emma and Henry not far behind her. "What's going on? Why would she hurt Henry?"

"SHE didn't," James spat back at them before looking back to Regina worriedly, holding her in his lap, "She needs to go to the hospital!"

"Rumple set this up, he was in control of her somehow," David admitted with a guilty expression on his face as he glanced towards his daughter whose eyes widened with the knowledge that Regina's actions had not been her own.

"...B-but what does Gold have in all of this? What did you two have planned?" Emma's head was apparently spinning as she looked at her Uncle with an almost pained expression.

"We were going to do a time reversal on the town, take it back to before the curse broken so she wouldn't have to deal with the pain of Robin and she'd have Henry to herself," James hissed, glaring at his niece who'd acted without thinking, "Regina started to hesitate, she was working through her grief and I could tell she was second guessing it. Rumple must have found out somehow and found a way to control her. After the way he's screwed things up with Belle, it'd benefit him to reverse time, too. Wouldn't it?"

"Her heart," Henry piped in then, falling down on his knees beside James to take Regina's hand into his own, "I saw her taking her heart out when I went to her vault. He must have gotten a hold of it and controlled her that way," He swallowed hard, looking at James worriedly.

"So Rumple has the diamond and Regina's heart?" Snow glanced at David and Emma before shaking her head, "We'll deal with this, but first we have to get her help." Snow's gaze landed on Regina's form as her expression filled with anguish.

* * *

"He hasn't left her side," Snow looked into the window of Regina's hospital room from where she and David sat in the hall. "I think he cares for her."

"Either that or he's just worried she'll croak before they get to enact their plan," David grumbled as he crossed his arms, glancing towards the room at his brother sitting beside the Queen's hospital bed.

"David!" Snow's mouth dropped as she elbowed him in the side and he glanced at her with a look of instant regret. He knew how much she loved Regina. She was family, they were mother and daughter in their own twisted way. "Don't be that way...I think he's really worried for her. She's been through so much, she deserves someone to be at her side."

"I just know how he is," David frowned and shook his head, reaching out to wrap his arm around Snow's shoulders, "After what happened between she and Robin I don't want her to get hurt again."

"Just talk to him about it," Snow nodded, not missing the skeptical huff he gave. He was so stubborn, and she imagined James was, too. They were complete opposites but oddly similar in more than just looks. "I think you should really give him a chance. He seems to have a bit of a softer side for her. That's a sign he's changing, isn't it?"

"I don't trust him."

Snow sighed, looking back to the troubled pair in the hospital room. She watched as James reached out and put his hand over Regina's. She was obviously unaware anyone was watching, still unconscious with wires attached to her underneath her hospital gown, but James was clearly unaware as well. Snow was sure if he knew someone was witnessing the sweet moment he'd instantly retract his hand from the Queen.

"They're kind of perfect for each other, if you think about it," Snow began to talk out loud, leaning her head against her husband's shoulder, "They were both raised by harsh parents, both have dark pasts, both are a little awkward with affection, both snarky," She chuckled softly under her breath and knew David smiled, too, "And Regina doesn't make lasagna for just anyone."

"Yeah, it's kind of her move," David chuckled with a mention to how the mayor had come onto him before the curse was broken, earning another elbow nudge from his wife, "I'm kidding. I know she was lonely back then, still hellbent on revenge. She didn't really want me, she just wanted someone to be there for her."

"She hasn't had anybody that could really understand her. I think Emma's friendship was probably the closest to that that she's gotten. Robin was an outlaw but he wasn't ever truly dark hearted. James has been there, he understands better than we ever could," Snow shrugged a little as she gazed in on them, "Not that we're saints, but we've never went through the type of things they have. Especially Regina, she.."

"Hey," David frowned and turned his head towards her when he heard her voice falter, "She lost her fiance, I know, but you two have made amends. You can't hold onto that guilt. She lost Daniel, but she made her own choices afterwards."

"No, you don't get it David," Snow swallowed hard and looked him in the eyes, thankful Emma and Henry had gone to the cafeteria, "It wasn't just the loss of Daniel she suffered," She felt a tear escape when he frowned and squeezed her shoulder, "At the time I was young and naive and did not see my father for who he was but...looking back. She lived in our castle like a prisoner. The people never accepted her, they still loved my mother so much that they never gave her a chance. I just wanted a mother so badly that I forced Regina into that role even though she was barely older than me. And my father...he married her," She grimaced. "What does that say about him? Marrying a girl he could have been a grandfather to. She even tried to shelter me from it, even though I know she must've hated me, she still made excuses as to why she was not allowed out of her chamber, or to why she had a bruise, or why she seemed sad. He had a temper, a cruel streak, I witnessed it when he'd get upset with servants, but he was never that way with me...but, Regina was not my mother and I think he resented her for it. She got the brunt of his anger."

David glanced towards the room at the woman he had a deeper understanding for, "I'm sorry, Snow. I never knew it was that bad."

"I haven't been able to admit it to myself, let alone anyone else," She gave a sad smile, "And if Regina knew that anyone knew what she went through she'd be so angry. You know how private she is."

"I don't know...maybe if you acknowledged it it could help her heal," David suggested, "Or she'd turn you to ash," He smiled warmly, giving her a squeeze to lighten the mood, "She's unpredictable."

"But so predictable at the same time," She sighed and laid her head back on his shoulder, "It's going to break her heart when she wakes up and realizes she almost hurt Henry."

* * *

James groaned at the stiffness in his neck when he woke up in the uncomfortable hospital chair beside Regina's bed. He gazed at her when his eyes adjusted to the low lighting of the room, realizing it had turned dark outside. She was still asleep, skin a little paler than her usual olive complexion, but her chest moved with breaths and for that he was thankful.

It bothered him how scared he'd been at the thought of Regina dying. When he'd watched her fall to the pavement it was instinctual that he go after her, that he protect her. There was a inkling feeling inside of him that he could no longer ignore. He cared about her. How could he not? He'd gotten to know her in their own strange way and he couldn't ignore how he responded.

Seeing the pain in her eyes made his heart ache for her, despite the fact that he did not want to care. Hearing stories of the abuse she'd suffered in her past made him want to protect her, despite how much he wanted to only worry about himself. Feeling the way she responded to his touch made him unable to imagine that he'd ever feel as satisfied in sleeping with another woman, though he wished he had the urge to. Developing feelings for Regina was something that had taken him by complete surprise and startled him.

She clearly did not reciprocate those feelings, which made him feel even more foolish. She'd been upfront since day one with him, telling him that the only reason she did this was to fill the void he'd created when he took Robin's life. He found himself being jealous of the man who still held her heart, who she grieved for. He hadn't deserved her after what he did and it made James feel possessive, despite knowing that his feelings weren't warranted. _He was an idiot._

Her stirring caught his attention, his heart beginning to thump in his chest as she started waking up. He watched her throat work as she swallowed and grimaced before opening her eyes. She blinked a few times, eyes becoming wider as she took in her surroundings, scanning the room before clocking him in the seat beside her bed.

"What in the hell am I doing here?" Her voice was raspy as she frowned and lifted her arms to inspect the wires attached to her, "Get these things off of me," She snapped, peeling the sticky pads from her skin.

James stood quickly at the side of her bed, reaching down to still her hands, "Calm down, you need to leave those on."

"What are you doing here?" She snapped up at him, anger glittering in her eyes despite the darkness of the room.

"Making sure you don't die," He snapped back at her, putting her hands back to her sides in a pointed gesture, "But I should've known better. You're too stubborn to croak."

"Are you going to continue to pout or are you going to tell me what happened?" She sighed impatiently, letting her head rest back against the pillow. "Last thing I remember is Rumple ripping my heart out."

"Henry said you'd already taken your heart out," James sat down on the edge of the hospital bed, resting his hands in his own lap.

"I put it back in," She avoided his gaze, giving a small shrug of her shoulders in disinterest.

"Why?" He raised an eyebrow, his own interest piqued.

"Does that really matter?" She scoffed and looked at him then, narrowing her eyes.

"Well you took your heart out because you were grieving," He frowned back at her. _She was so goddamn stubborn._ "Something must have prompted you to put it back in."

She frowned at him as if he'd actually reached out and slapped her and he could tell she was furious at him for prodding. There was something she wasn't telling him and didn't want to admit. "Living without your heart can be confusing with certain things. Sometimes you need to put it back in to be able to feel things clearly," She looked away from him then, fiddling with the edge of her hospital blanket before adding through gritted teeth, "Now will you tell me what happened, for fucks sake?"

"Rumple used your heart to control you, had you come to me after he took your cuff off for you and we went to enact the time reversal curse with the diamond. I started to notice you were acting a little funny, especially since you'd acted hesitant about the whole thing lately," He watched her look back up at him as if she was surprised he'd noticed, "You're a little more transparent than you think, Your Majesty," He rolled his eyes, "Anyways, I knew you weren't yourself, especially when you were activating the diamond and Henry came out to stop you."

"Henry? Is he okay?" Her eyes became as wide as saucers, what little color she did have in her face draining immediately, "Where is he? Did I hurt him?"

"He's fine, you just gave him a little nudge back," He looked at her seriously, "He's outside sleeping in the waiting room with the rest of the Charming family. Anyways, Emma attacked you with magic to save Henry and that's how you ended up here," He shrugged.

"I attacked Henry and she didn't kill me?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Why are they all out there if they know what we were going to do?"

"Because I said you'd been hesitant about the plan in the first place and that Rumple had motive to want us to continue with the time reversal," He shifted uncomfortably, looking away from her this time, "I brought it to their attention that you were not in control of your actions. That you'd never hurt Henry."

"And Henry? He's not angry with me for what we almost did? For what I did to him?" Her voice trembled a little and he knew she must hate it.

"No, you know he's smarter than that. He knows you were grieving when we cooked up the plan," James let out a breath as he looked back at her and frowned, "They all know that, Regina."

"And you," She crossed her arms, jaw clenched, "Our plan failed, you're not getting what you wanted. Why are you still hanging around?"

He frowned, irritation bubbling within him. He knew pushing people away was her defense mechanism when she was feeling vulnerable. Hell, it's what he did himself, but it got to him. He didn't usually extend this amount of care towards anyone, didn't put himself out on the line like that, and she was throwing it back in his face. "Fuck if I know," He stood without looking at her, "I'll tell them you're awake."

"Great," He heard her mutter as he made his way towards the door, slipping out.

* * *

"So help me god, if you don't release me today I'm going to singe every one of those bleached blonde hairs off of your head," Regina threatened, snarling at Dr. Whale who rolled his eyes as he continued to flip over her charts. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm alive, am I not? I've suffered much worse than Emma Swan's weak magic."

She was being a monster, that much she did know. But regardless of whether she'd admit it, she felt like shit and she just wanted to go home and be by herself. Besides, her heart was no longer in her chest and that allowed her to be coarse without the little twinges of guilt she'd normally get. Henry had been in to see her the night before and she'd caught the rest of the Charming idiots peering into her hospital room at one point or the other, but they were avoiding her this morning due to her mood.

Her son had been worried and relieved and angry with her all at once when he came into her room. All she could do was apologize to him for being distant, for considering the time reversal and for unknowingly hurting him. The boy said he knew she wouldn't have actually gone through with it and reassured her that he was not harmed. She had cried in relief when he hugged her and he'd fallen asleep in the bed beside her for the rest of the night. It was what she'd needed for months, just being with her son. Henry remained with her until _Frankenstein_ had walked in and suggested he go get breakfast while he examined Regina, effectively killing her close to good mood.

James still hadn't come back since he'd walked out the night before and she couldn't say that she blamed him. She didn't understand why he insisted on pretending like he cared, or sticking around like they were anything more than villains with benefits. He was probably worried about himself and what she was going to do for him since their plan did not go through. It was best she'd made him angry enough to leave, maybe now she'd get some peace and quiet.

"Madam Mayor, Emma's _weak_ magic would have stopped your heart had it been in your chest," Whale replied, "Your body has been through a great deal receiving a blow like that. I'd like to keep you at least until tonight. Then if you're still doing well, you can go home."

"Useless," She muttered and rolled her eyes, clenching the blankets in her fists, "Leave me."

"Gladly," He threw her chart down on the rolling table beside her bed before making his way out, meeting Snow at the door. Regina almost smirked at the awkward glance they gave each other due to their history.

"I can't believe you slept with him. Honestly, what were you thinking?" She chuckled as Snow shut the door behind her and threw a glare her way. "I mean I know they're not all Tarzans and John Smiths in the looks department, but _him_?"

"I was under a curse, Regina," Snow rolled her eyes and closed the distance between them, "You've probably heard of it. Woman who created it was a real bitch."

Her mouth dropped slightly as she looked up at the younger woman who never usually sassed her back, "Well look who finally found her backbone. It's about time," She sighed.

"You gave us quite a scare, Regina," She heard the disapproving tone of the hero standing beside her bed and wanted to scream. The last thing she needed was a lecture from the mother of the sorceress who'd nearly killed her not even a day ago. "What were you thinking? Planning to curse us again?"

"I wasn't going to actually go through with it," She grit out, staring straight ahead instead of looking at her step-daughter. "It was Rumple who wanted to make sure it happened. Probably so he could rescue Belle from her padded cell and she wouldn't remember she actually hates him. Or James, he wanted revenge on your brother."

"Always everyone else's fault, isn't it?" Snow crossed her arms when Regina glared back at her, "You're awful quick to throw the man who saved your life under the bus, you know."

"What are you talking about?" She scoffed, trying to act disinterested by picking at the wires connected to her, peeling back the stickers that kept them in place.

"He didn't tell you?" Snow watched her, realization showing in her features, "James stepped in between you and Emma's magic. He was hurt, too, but refused treatment. He was also the one who made us aware that you were not yourself and he carried you to David's truck and didn't let you out of his sight until he made sure you were here and being cared for. Then, of course, he stayed at your bedside until you woke up and were a bitch to him."

"He said I was a bitch to him?" Regina frowned, hating the fact that her conscious made her aware she would be feeling guilt right now if she had her heart in her. _James had saved her. He'd known she was not herself. He'd stayed with her to make sure she was all right._

"No, he didn't say anything other than that you were awake," Snow sat down in the chair that James had occupied, "But I could tell he was upset and angry. My husband is his twin, they have similar brooding faces."

"Probably angry because our plan didn't work," She shifted the blame with a shrug, tearing off some of the wires and throwing them back at the annoying machine that beeped at her beside her bed. "He's insufferable. Honestly, who steps in front of a beam of Savior magic willingly? An idiot, that's who. I thought he was supposed to be the smart twin. You know, I just don't trust him. I don't know what he's planning. David should really run him out of town."

She rambled, avoiding Snow's gaze by taking her frustration out on all of this realm's medical magic that was attached to her. She knew if she looked at the woman that she'd see right through her. She probably already did. The woman's intuition was strong and she was able to read her in a way that made Regina uncomfortable.

"Mhm, so you're telling me that a Queen who used to conquer realms thinks that a man without magic, _who saved her life might I add_ , is an actual threat?" She heard the skepticism dripping from Snow's words and knew very well the insufferable woman was trying to make a point. "You're right, Regina. We should get rid of him. I'll speak with David about it."

Regina glanced at her quickly, giving her a fake smile, "You think you're so clever, don't you, Snow white?"

"I think I know you more than you are to admit," She shrugged with a sad smile, "I know what you've been through-"

"You don't know what I've been through," She hissed back at the naive woman. Snow may have lost David for a few years, but they always found each other. She may have witnessed him die, but Regina had split her heart and brought him back. She may have lost years with her daughter, but she had her now. Snow had never known a life without love, had never experienced the heavy hand of someone who enjoyed being cruel to her, had never had the loves of her life taken from her forever.

"Regina," Snow's voice cracked then and Regina bit down on her bottom lip, her resolve to be mean to her lessening at the onslaught of emotion the woman beside her felt. Her step-daughter reached her hand out to cover her own tense one, "I know. I know I cost you Daniel, I know my father was cruel to you, I know I forced you to be a mother to me when you needed one of your own. I know what happened with Robin reinforced your feelings that you aren't good enough, but that you grieve him anyways. I know you're terrified of being hurt again and that you doubt anyone who shows kindness to you because typically they have ulterior motives. But you have family now, whether you like it or not, and we love you and care about you just because we do. I know James is just as confused about whats happening between the two of you...but I don't think you should push him away," She let out a shaky breath, "And lastly, I know you probably want to light me on fire for bringing all of this up, but I'd really appreciate it if you didn't."

Regina's sharp intake of breath was a half laugh, half sob as she stared down at her lap, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. She hated her step-daughter for making her feel so vulnerable, so open, so on display. She hated the way the she really did know her, hated the way she didn't give up on her, hated the way she could make her feel things even when she didn't even have a fucking heart in her chest. She hated that she loved this idiot girl.

"Maybe just singe you a little," She mumbled under her breath and heard the woman beside her chuckle, causing her to look up at her with a watery, weak smile.

"We're gonna get your heart back, Regina," Snow reassured her through her own tears, "And we're going to help you get your happy ending," She squeezed her hand gently, "Team Charming has taken on Operation Mongoose whether you like it or not."

* * *

"Regina's being released," Charming came into the waiting room where James sat with a pensive expression. "Didn't think you'd be back."

"Had to go take care of a few things," James muttered, fingers tapping on the arm of his chair as his eyes flickered up at his twin.

"Like what?" David frowned, taking a seat in the row across from him, "What have you been up to?" His brother had left the hospital the night before after Regina had woken up. He didn't expect him to come back, judging on his mood, but he was back in the wee hours of the morning.

"Had to pay someone a visit," James grit back at him, growing annoyed at the questioning.

"Are you working with Rumple now?" David's eyes narrowed as he eyed his twin. He was being elusive and it didn't settle well with him.

"Hardly," He leveled his stare then, looking back at him with firm eyes, "Is this an interrogation?"

"Does it need to be?" He crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

"What the fuck is your problem? I've done nothing to you," James' anger flared and his fingers gripped the arms of the waiting room chair until his fingers turned white.

"Well, you were trying to reverse time and effectively put me back under a spell," He cocked his head to the side sarcastically, "Forgive me, James, if I'm a bit skeptical of you right now. I gave you another chance here and look what you did behind our backs."

"Gave me another chance?" He gave a bitter laugh, "Who gave me my first chance, David? Was it our parents when they sold me and kept you? Was it King George when he raised me to be a monster? Tell me, who are you to give me my second chance when I never got a first one, brother?"

David bit down on his bottom lip at the anger radiating from his twin, "James, I did not control my fate any more than you did your own. How am I to be held accountable for being the one our parents kept?"

"And how am I to be held accountable for not being the chosen one?" He frowned, leaning his elbows on his knees and staring back at him seriously, "We're both a product of the life our parents chose for us. Are we not?"

"I suppose," He frowned, understanding his brother's point of view, "But-"

"But nothing," James shook his head, "I'm not saying that I have not done terrible things, that I haven't chosen the dark path almost every time. I know I do not deserve this life I took from a decent man," He frowned to himself and David saw the guilt that flickered on his twin's features, "But who are you to condemn me or think yourself so much better simply because you received the more privileged path in life?"

"I'd hardly call being a shepherd the privileged path."

"Ah, so having our mother's love, finding your own true love, having a family, that's not as exciting as dying in a battle with a beast twice your size because your adopted father paraded you like a prize fighter? You'd rather of lived my life?" James raised a brow, "I'll admit I was angry with you for years, I made you the target of my hatred because you got everything I always wanted," He admitted, squaring his shoulders as he sat straight again in an attempt to retain a shred of his dignity.

"And you don't now?" David shook his head in disbelief.

"I don't really know you, David. And like you said, you didn't choose to be the one they kept," His brow creased, "I'm tired of fighting. Tired of being on the losing end. I'm not going to try to harm you or your family, so you can stop questioning me at every turn."

"Hm," Charming mumbled as he studied the man in front of him, "Just remember that Regina is a part of that family. If you hurt her, you'll deal with me."

James scoffed, "I don't think you have to worry about that," He muttered in a way that let David know the Queen had been the one to sting his brother.

David recalled the way his brother had held Regina in the street, had carried her to the truck and cradled her until they reached the hospital. He'd even roughed up Whale when he thought he was not doing everything he could. Not to mention the way he'd hung around even when Regina had been dismissive of him. "She's a tough one, but I'd imagine if you have the patience and the willpower, breaking down that wall of hers would be worth it."

His twin eyed him cryptically, hesitating for a moment before replying, "I'm the reason Robin died, she'll never forgive that."

"Snow was the reason her first love died. Regina is not so narrow minded that she believes you or Snow were actually responsible, despite what she says. Cora and Hades actually did the deed. She knows that, she's just grieving."

"What would someone like me have to offer her, anyways?" James shook his head frustratedly at his brother's optimism. _These fucking Charmings never gave up._

"Understanding," David shrugged, "You both can be a stubborn pain in the ass," He leaned forward, holding his truck keys out to him, "She just needs someone to be there for her. Someone loyal. Take my truck and get her home. Don't mess this up."

James frowned at his brothers offering before taking the keys from him and standing, "You're going to enjoy watching this, aren't you?" He asked when they heard Regina snapping at a nurse from the hallway as she was wheeled out of her room.

David smirked up at his brother, hearing Regina in the background berating someone for _treating her like an invalid,_ "Immensely."

* * *

"Thank god that's over," She sniped, closing her eyes for a moment to regain control of her swirling stomach when James parked the car in front of her home. It was dark out by the time she was released and she was fatigued from merely getting herself into this monstrosity, "Did they not teach you how to drive a standard in hell?"

She watched him roll his eyes and get out of the drivers side, prompting her to look at her own door and jerk on the handle. It took all of her strength to push the passenger door open and she hated how weak she was. He rounded the front of the truck and opened the door the rest of the way before holding his hand out.

"I can do it myself," She refused stubbornly, gripping the frame of the gas guzzling carriage as she started to slide from the seat, hoping she could land on her feet without collapsing.

"Stubborn shit," He frowned, catching her by the hips when her feet hit the ground and she swayed, "I should've let you fall on your ass."

"You should've let me make my own way home and you wouldn't of had to deal with this," She retorted with a glare up at him before pulling away from him and forcing her legs to take her up the path to her front door.

She couldn't deny that a little part of her was glad he showed back up at the hospital and insisted on taking her home. After the way she'd been with him when she woke up she didn't think she'd see him around anymore. Him coming back for more made her want him, but also made her want to push him away. _Why was he here, anyways?_

"You're right, I should have," He agreed, following her up the path, giving her some distance but remaining close enough to catch her if she'd fall, "But someone has to take care of the invalid," He mocked and she could hear the smirk he gave her in his tone.

"Shut up," She sniped, becoming breathless as she climbed the few steps up to her doorway, pressing a hand against it when she finally reached it. It felt like she'd just climbed a mountain.

"You know, you probably don't have enough energy to make it all the way to your room AND be sassy," James said as he came up behind her, bending to pull the spare key from under the doormat, "Which is it gonna be?"

"Looks like I need to find a new hiding place for that," She muttered as she watched him unlock the front door. _How in the hell had she let him get so comfortable here?_

"I'll take that as sassy," He gave her a fake smile and shoved the key into his pocket before reaching out and scooping her up off of her feet.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Her mouth fell open, dark brows furrowing as she glared up at him.

"Like I said, you're running your mouth too much to make it up to your room on your own two feet," He replied, kicking the door shut behind him as he made their way to the staircase, "And I can't let you collapse on my watch or the Charmings will hang me in the town square."

"I am not some flimsy princess who needs rescued," She huffed despite the fact she felt drained and was secretly thankful that he'd picked her up. Her pride probably would've led her to braving the stairs with her wobbly legs and making a fool of herself when she tumbled down them.

"I know, princesses are usually a lot more pleasant when they're in my arms," He smirked as he climbed the stairs with ease at how light her petite frame was in his arms.

"You know you can go now," She smiled fakely when he sat her down on her bed, kicking off the heels she'd insisted on putting back on to leave the hospital.

"I'm tired, it's late, you can scoot your smartass over," James replied without missing a beat, pulling his shirt over his head as he began to strip down for bed.

He was incessant, completely unmoved by all of her barbs. She didn't know what it was with him that got under her skin so much, but she was growing frustrated. Frustrated at the way he would not seem to go away. Frustrated that she was being mean to him when he was trying to help. Frustrated that she was doubting his intentions. Frustrated that it made her feel so good to be taken care of by him.

He turned then to go towards her bathroom and she suppressed a gasp at the deep purple and blue bruising on his back, undoubtedly masking broken ribs or maybe even internal injuries. She scooted over to the other side of the bed when he disappeared in the bathroom, managing to shrug out of her dress and get under the covers, laying back in utter exhaustion as she contemplated his injuries. Snow had said had taken a blow for her but refused treatment. _Stubborn prick._

"Here, you need to stay hydrated," James came out a few minutes later in his boxers, setting a glass of water on her nightstand before making his way around to the other side of the bed and slipping in it.

"You really should've let them look at your back," Regina said in a tone much softer than she'd used with him in days, seeing him gingerly lay down on his side to avoid putting pressure on his bruises.

"It's fine," He raised an eyebrow at her as he laid his head on the pillow, reaching up to poke and prod at it until he was comfortable, "You worried about me?" A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I'd just rather not have a corpse in my bed when I wake up," She rolled her eyes, "Roll onto your stomach, I'll heal you."

"Yeah right, Whale said no strenuous activity for a couple of days until you're fully rested and no magic," He pulled the covers up over him, "Goodnight, Regina Mills."

Sleep beckoned her as well and she sighed, watching him close his eyes. Her eyes grazed the tattoos on his upper arms mindlessly as she considered the events of the past couple of days. She wondered what Rumple had planned with her heart. The magic her body sustained from Emma's blow had obviously broken the control he'd had over her and she worried that she may never be able to reconnect with her heart, even if she got it back. She'd never been so truly severed from it when it had been out of her chest before. But the Charming fools seemed to think they would get it back for her and that they would help her be happy again. Her gaze met the relaxed face of the man who now slept beside her and she wondered if perhaps he was playing a part in Operation Mongoose, too.

* * *

A hunger pain woke Regina from her slumber and she nearly groaned out at how stiff she was when she rolled over in the bed, as if she'd been in that position all night. When she opened her eyes it was still dark outside, the bedroom dimly lit. She stretched, surprised to find little to no soreness after she got the stiffness out. That had been quick for only being asleep a few hours.

"You're awake," James raised a brow, a hint of a smile on his face when he walked in carrying two bags of takeout, "Granny actually served me at the diner. I had to tell her half of it was for you, of course."

Regina chuckled, her voice raspy as she pushed herself into a sitting position, "Did you wake up just to go for food?" She frowned in confusion, head still hazy with sleep.

"Regina, you slept through the day and into the night," He said as he sat down on the bed, sitting the bags down on the comforter, "Hungry?"

"I don't eat in bed," She frowned disapprovingly, running a hand over her face at the realization of how much she just slept.

"I can hear your stomach growling from here, break your rules just this once," James rolled his eyes before shoving the burger in her face after unwrapping it halfway for her. She looked at it and felt her mouth salivate before taking it into her own hands.

"How is your back feeling? You're lucky you weren't internally injured," She frowned at the thought before taking a bite of her sandwich. _How had they gone from frenemies to eating takeout in bed and griping at each other like a regular, boring couple?_

"I've suffered worse than my niece's attempt at magic," He joked and she only stared back at him, thinking of how she'd made that own snarky remark just the day before. _They were so alike._ "What? Oh, I see. I bet you haven't had a burger since 1987. Are you on the brink of orgasm?" He smirked and she frowned through the chewing of the bite in her mouth.

"Like you'd know what I look like on the brink of a real orgasm," She quipped with a smirk after swallowing her food. It wouldn't hurt to relax and just enjoy having someone around for a few moments, anyways.

James grinned back and took a big bite of his sandwich, his eyes scanning her figure that was only clad in her bra and panties still. He'd changed into jeans and a black tshirt and she suddenly had images of peeling it off, despite the fact she was under doctors orders not to partake in such activity.

"How are you feeling?" He asked after a few moments, putting the containers from their takeout back into the bags and disposing of it in the trash can beside her nightstand on his side. "I mean I know you're a smartass on the brink of death, so you being snarky tells me nothing."

"I feel fine," She chuckled and shook her head, brushing crumbs from her chest as she finished the last bite of her burger, "Been through worse."

"I know," He replied, looking at her a little more seriously when she met his gaze, "I uh...have something for you..."

"What?" Regina watched him curiously, noticing the way he shifted and averted his eyes almost nervously.

"I wanted to wait until you'd recovered, I've heard it can be painful," He turned then, pulling a soft cloth bag from the drawer of the nightstand before turning back to her. Her breath caught in her throat when he undid the draw string of the velvet and opened the top, pulling her heart from the fabric.

"Wh..how did you get that? Rumple would never have given that up willingly," Her lips parted in shock, watching her heart beat in the large hands that held it so gently. She felt the warmth of the care he took in handling it, felt the way it tingled at his touch, enlightening her to feelings for him that unnerved her.

"I got tired of just sitting around the hospital the other night, so I got the idea," He shrugged with an uncertain smile, "I went to his shop. Got your heart and left. No big deal."

"No big deal? He could've killed you on the spot with magic," Regina shook her head, eyes wide with disbelief, "You're an idiot. Do you know what he could've done to you?" She began to berate him, becoming irritated that he'd put himself in danger for her.

"He wasn't even there, Regina," He reassured her, "He's so wrapped up in trying to get Belle back that he's becoming sloppy. I found it within a few minutes, slipped out and it's all good. Now do you want me to put this thing in or not?" He smiled, glancing down at it. She looked at the organ too, noticing the glowing red that had started to take back over the black parts.

"O-okay," She stuttered, suddenly feeling anxious at the thought of feeling so deeply again. "Just press it against my chest, apply some gentle pressure, don't stop even if I look like I'm in pain, okay?"

"Are you sure you're up to it?" James eyed her seriously.

"Yes," She swallowed hard and scooted closer to him in the bed. She could tell he was a little nervous as he glanced down towards the beating organ and brought it to her chest. He pressed it to her skin like she'd instructed, applying just the right amount of pressure. Her breath was taken from her as it began to go back inside of her, eyes locking with his and seeing the worry there when she gasped as it sunk back into place.

Her eyes filled with tears at the onslaught of sudden emotion. Guilt, grief, love, hate. They all swarmed inside of her, glimpses of the things her heart had experienced separately she now felt fully. A flash of Henry's worried look at her beside evoking guilt in her. A little pang of grief at the reminders of Robin. Hatred for Rumple and what he had done to her; what he continued to do to her. Love for her son, for her step-daughter and the rest of the idiot Charmings. Love...maybe even for the man in front of her.

"Regina, are you okay?" He watched her closely as she seemed to be riding a roller coaster of emotions, "Did I do it right?"

"Yes," She whispered as she stared at him, heart beating wildly in her chest. Trepidation ran through her at the idea of falling for him, being fully aware now just how much of a pull towards him she already felt, "James, why are you here?" The question came out before she could stop it, without any of the malice in her tone that she usually had when she asked him that question. She had to know.

His eyes searched hers as he hesitated, "I'd imagine for the same reason you're looking at me like you're scared as hell right now," He swallowed hard and looked back at her knowingly. She knew in that moment he was aware of how she was feeling, for he was feeling the same way. She desperately wanted to believe it was true. He had been there for her, after all. He hadn't betrayed her yet, had remained loyal to her even in the face of the danger that occurred the day before. He'd even risked his life for her.

"I'm not going to be easy to deal with," Regina bit down on her bottom lip, shifting her gaze as she warned him. "I'm mean and I'm stubborn and I'm going to drive you crazy," She glanced back at him then as she gave him the chance to opt out.

"It's a good thing I'm so even tempered and compromising and easy to be around," He replied sarcastically, giving her a good humored grin, "Has anyone ever told you you talk to much?" He asked, giving her a look that told her he did not want the chance she was giving him. Her lips parted to retort but his hand was already cupping the back of her neck, pulling her towards him and kissing her deeply.

"No, usually I'm accused of not talking enough," She smirked against his lips, feeling joy and relief bubbling within her, lifting a bit of the weight from her shoulders. He carded his fingers through the back of her hair, grinning against her lips as he brushed his over hers playfully when she spoke, her own hands running up over his biceps.

"Good thing I know what you're thinking before you even open your mouth," He whispered before kissing her again, tongue dipping into her mouth and caressing her own, earning a moan from her.

"What am I thinking now?" She withdrew her tongue from his to whisper before kissing him again, hands coming down to grip the edge of his shirt and work it up his muscled torso.

"How much you want me," He broke the kiss long enough to pull the shirt over his head and grin at her before pushing her down onto the bed, crawling over top of her, "How handsome I am..." He dipped his head to her neck and began placing chaste kisses on the spots she liked, "...how wet you're getting for me..."

"Mmm, what else?" She half moaned, half sighed as his large hands came underneath her back to undo her bra, lips trailing down over her breasts as she pulled it down her arms and freed them.

"..how good it feels when I run my tongue over you like this," His voice was husky, sparking something low in her belly. She let her head fall back when he ran his tongue over her nipple, feeling it stiffen instantly with arousal and the cold air that followed, "...but how you like it more when I suck down on it..." His lips curled around the peak and he suckled, earning a hiss from her.

She ran her fingers through his hair, spreading her legs wider for him, hips curling up towards his instinctually, "...and how good it's going to feel when you do that between my thighs," She purred, hearing him groan in response as he teased the other nipple with his tongue, his fingers curling around the edge of her panties.

"That's what I was going to say," He gazed down at her mischevuously as he lifted momentarily to pull the lace down her legs, watching her bend her knees to help him. He threw the scrap of fabric from the bed before taking her naked form in with a long, sweeping look. She was smiling up at him with heavy lidded eyes, pebbled nipples, thighs pressed together teasingly, "Open," He mumbled, fingertips grazing the outsides of her thighs.

"What am I thinking now?" She breathed heavily as she parted her thighs at his command, seeing his eyes darken instantly. Heat pooled in her belly and he hadn't even touched her yet, though the throbbing of her clit was begging for it. Her hands found her own breasts, massaging the flesh and teasing her nipples and he groaned and closed his eyes for a moment at the sight. It excited her to turn someone on so much, to know without a doubt that they wanted her as much as she did them.

"Hm..hard to...harder to read your thoughts when I have so many of my own right now," He groaned, mind flooded by his arousal as he settled down between her legs. Her breath caught in her throat when he pressed a kiss to the bend of her thigh, so close to her sex she could feel his breath. His lips trailed around her slit slowly, earning a moan from her before he dipped his tongue in her folds and ran it over her slowly, "Fuck, Regina."

"Hmmmph," She choked on a moan as she reached down with one hand to grip his hair, her other hand working at her breast. His tongue found her clit as his hands gripped her thighs, pushing them further apart. A whimper escaped her at the feeling of being spread further apart and the soft rhythm he teased her clit with, beginning to curl her hips to add to the friction.

"You've got my dick so hard, Regina," He growled against her and she moaned at the thought. She cried out and jerked at the way he sucked down on her clit suddenly, taking a rougher tone with her that made her stomach tense instantly.

Her body was on fire for him, wanting him closer, wanting to feel him pressing her into the mattress, "I want you inside me," She moaned, pulling at his hair and he obliged, sucking down on her clit before letting go of it as he lifted his head. He kissed her aggressively when he crawled up her body and she moaned, tongue coming out to lick herself of off his lips and chin.

"Fucking hell," He groaned loudly, both of their hands working at the belt and zipper of his pants, feeling her push his jeans and foxers down with her feet sliding against his sides. They scrambled once he was freed form his pants, her hands coming to grip his shoulders as one of his own came down to grip and guide himself, sinking into her tight heat with a growl.

"You were't lying," She hissed at how hard he was, her head falling back and she clamped her legs against his sides, feeling him rock into her deeper. " _Deeper_ ," She whimpered, hands running down to his ass to grip the flesh and pull him tightly to her, " _Yesss_."

"Goddamn it," James cursed as he struggled to regain control, stilling for a moment as he reached up to grip the edge of the mattress not far above her head, the other hand reaching down to grasp one of her thighs. He began to rock into her once he knew he could without cumming, hearing her moan of approval as he buried his face into her neck.

" _Like that_ ," She gasped when he curled his hips and hit the spot inside of her that made her begin to coil quickly. Her eyes closed as her nails dug into the flesh of his ass and jerked him towards her as he rutted, effectively spreading her thighs wider for him, feeling him deeper. He drove into her dutifully, ripping moans and grunts of approval from both of them.

"So good," He murmured in her neck before sucking down on the skin there, "Yes, that's it baby," He coaxed her as he felt her walls began to tense around him, her hips moving frantically under his, squirming and curling up towards him. "Come for me."

She cried out at the heat building in her abdomen, letting her head fall back against the bed as her body writhed. He lifted his head to watch as he thrust into her with hard, deep curls of his hips, gradually increasing the pace. Their eyes locked when hers fluttered open, lips parted as she panted and flushed underneath him.

" _James!_ " She gasped before letting out a heady moan, eyes clamping shut and face scrunching sexily as she came around him. He jerked through the throws of her orgasm as she arched and squirmed underneath him, filling her with his own when he buried his face in her neck and groaned her name in response.


	12. Chapter 12

_sorry for the wait. creative dry spell ;) i think the next chapter will be the last for this one xxx_

* * *

A week had passed since her stint in the hospital and Regina hadn't seen anyone but James. Henry and the Charmings had left her alone to heal under Whale's orders, though they had called James nearly three times each day to check up on her. David's evil brother had practically lived at her mansion, refusing to leave in case she relapsed or needed something. She'd been short with him, had pushed and irritated him in her best attempt to make him run away, but it hadn't worked. He wasn't as sensitive or easy to hurt as Robin was and it was a good thing considering how moody she'd been.

It embarrassed her that the Charmings knew he was staying there, making it undoubtedly clear, even to imbeciles like them, that there was something going on between the Evil Queen and the Evil Twin. She was an extremely private person and to have them watching her with prying eyes while she tried to navigate whatever it was she and James were doing gave her anxiety. Thinking about facing them after all of this made her lash out at him even more, but he didn't budge. He simply smarted her off right back and most of the time ended up fucking the attitude out of her.

She'd thrown a hellacious fit on him this morning when he'd come downstairs after his shower, announcing that he'd agreed they would meet the Charmings for a Sunday morning breakfast. They'd apparently called, telling him that they all needed to gather and make plans for _Operation Meerkat...or whatever the hell they were calling it_. Regina knew she should've been grateful that they were all making an attempt to help her, but they were unaware that James had already single-handedly gotten her heart back for her. Which meant she had to admit that to them and make them even more suspicious. _She could see Snow's smug, googly eyed grin now._

Naturally she'd blown up on James, stating she refused to go because she wasn't in the mood for them today. She complained that she still didn't feel entirely back to normal and he'd quickly reminded her how she'd kept him up all night and that was probably why she was so tired. It was true, she was fully recovered physically, but having her heart back in her chest after it had been out for an extended period of time was never an easy thing to adjust to. Something felt off and it made her nervous, worrying if the connection between she and her heart was permanently damaged after whatever Gold was up to.

She hadn't shared her worries with anyone, thought it was adding an extra layer of anxiety to her already frayed nerves. Admitting she was worried or insecure was never something she'd been able to do easily. After all, she'd only had herself for so many years. Confiding in someone and expecting them to understand was a luxury she'd given up long ago. _It was best if it stayed that way._

James had only leaned against the doorway of the kitchen with his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face as she raved and ranted. She flat our refused, rambling on about why she wasn't going, despite the fact he wasn't arguing with her at all. His nonchalant attitude had only irritated her more and she'd ended up huffing and throwing her coffee mug in the sink like a child. She knew her excuses were bullshit and he clearly had, too.

So now they stood outside of Granny's while she fidgeted with her hands in her pockets, staring at the pathway where they'd come to stop. Her heart pounded in her ears at the idea of walking in and having all eyes on her. Sure, she'd seen them all individually at the hospital, but this was different. This was her first attempt at reconnecting with the people who'd become her family. The people she'd avoided like the plague for months now. Her son that she'd abandoned out of grief.

"Hey, they invited us," James gave a nonchalant shrug, trying to make her feel at ease. He could see the anxiety written in her expression at the idea of walking in. Though he didn't let it bother him, he understood where she came from. It took some nerve to walk into a place when you had a reputation like they did, knowing full well someone could antagonize you or berate you from their ivory tower regardless of whether you'd done anything to warrant it or not. It came with being a villain.

"Clearly," She rolled her eyes at him with a sarcastic smile before seeing him frown, letting out a breath, "Sorry. I just...I know they're forgiving me, but I'm not sure I deserve it."

"Yeah, well like it or not they're your family," He raised a brow, shoving his own hands in his pockets, "So they love you and all that. And, it's cold out here. Also, I want pancakes," He smirked to lighten the mood.

She rolled her eyes again, the anxiety dissipating for a few moments and a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth despite the way she tried to suppress it, "Come on, let's get this over with."

James watched her shoulders lift and fall as she visibly took a deep breath, following her up the path to Granny's. He reached in and opened the door, holding it open for her to walk in first. The buzz of the crowded diner lessened considerably when the doorbell above them rang, announcing their presence. Curious and skeptical eyes met them as the citizens glanced up and began to whisper among themselves.

Regina merely lifted her chin proudly, scanning over them to see Henry wave her down from their table in the back. She couldn't help a smile spread across her face at the sight of her son. Not that she'd tried to suppress her joy, but she had been worried about how he'd react to her after how she'd treated him. She wasn't sure if she could withstand seeing Henry look at her with resentment. His motioning for them to come sit down seemed to be a positive start though, so she glanced at James and made their way through the crowd.

"It's about time, you two," Snow practically beamed from her seat in between Emma and Charming when James and Regina approached the table, "We're starving!"

"We waited to order, though," Henry piped up, catching Regina's attention. She looked down at the boy, giving him a weak smile before biting her lip. He simply returned her gaze with wide, honest eyes and a genuine smile. There were no traces of judgement or resentment in his expression, simply honest affection and traces of hopefulness that made her heart ache. "You can sit by me, Mom."

Regina nodded and smiled warmly at him, taking a seat beside him as James took a seat to her right, putting her in the middle of them. Charming sat to the left of Henry with Snow on his right, followed by Emma and then Hook, rounding out the circle table beside James.

"So, uh, how you feeling?" Emma eyed her with a hint of guilt in her expression that let Regina know she regretted attacking Regina. The Savior hadn't shown her face in her hospital room and the Mayor now knew why. _Imagine that, Swan feeling badly about hurting her._

"You mean after you nearly killed me?" Regina cocked a brow in dry humor though the rest of the table all glanced at each other, as if they didn't know if it was okay to laugh, "I'm fine. Your magic isn't _that_ strong."

"Besides, James took a good blow for Regina," Charming spoke up then, making his twin look up rather surprised from his menu. It wasn't like David to compliment him at all. _It made him uncomfortable._

"You did a good thing, James," Snow smiled sappily, causing James to glance at Regina with a skeptical brow. He suddenly had a feeling he knew why Regina was always so sarcastic around them. These people were insufferably cheery and bubbly.

"Are they like this all the time?" He murmured to her, though they all heard it and Regina smirked. _Finally, someone understood how it grated her nerves._

"I'm serious, James. You really proved yourself to everyone saving Regina like that," Charming smiled but shook his head, "I take back what I said about you steering clear of everyone. I think you should be a part of the family again."

James glanced at him indignantly and Regina knew exactly how he felt, "Oh how gracious of you brother to take pity on a poor villain like me. You mean I'm not shunned from your flock anymore, Sheppard?" He mocked appreciation towards David, causing the Charming couple to frown like idiots.

"Since when does saving your girlfriends life considered a redeeming act? Isn't it like, dating 101?" Hook spoke up then with a perk of his eyebrow, eyeing James' leather jacket as if he were sizing him up.

"I'm not his girlfriend," Regina snapped quickly and glared at the pirate.

"But Regina he's been practically living with you and we know you-" Snow began.

"You don't know anything," Regina's mouth dropped and her eyes blazed with sudden fire.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend? What are we? Twelve?" James scoffed and took a sip of his coffee.

"Please," Regina agreed with a roll of her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. "The dark and broody black leather jacket wearing doesn't work on all of us, Guyliner."

"Right uh," David let out a breath, glancing at all of them, "Should we get down to why we're here?"

"Yes," Emma grunted, lips still pressed into a thin line. Regina could always tell when the Sheriff was struggling to keep her emotions at bay and she was clearly dealing with some underlying issue here. It wasn't just her jab at Hook, either. _She'd said plenty worse about that sleazeball._

"Yes," Henry piped in then with a serious expression, "We have to get my mom's heart back from Gold before he does something bad to her."

Regina's stomach flopped then and she looked at her son with lips parted in hesitation. James saw the vulnerability that flashed in her expression and knew she wouldn't be able to lie to Henry. She looked like a caged animal, unsure of how to react the the onlookers surrounding her.

"Actually, uhm..." Regina felt her heart thumping in her chest, hating how on display she felt with all of their eyes on her.

"Regina you're scaring me, is something wrong?" Snow leaned further in on the table with a concerned expression.

James merely leaned back in his seat, slouching a little while he pretended to be distracted with looking for what he wanted on the menu. Regina could tell he was deflecting, _he'd been talking about pancakes all fucking morning._ He seemed to be trying to help her in avoiding this conversation all together.

"You already got it didn't you?" Charming smirked at James knowingly, causing his twin's eyes to dart up from the diner menu and feign a confused expression.

"Sorry uh, what are we talking about?" James shrugged with a quiet glance at Regina, knowing she didn't want this to come off as a big deal. She was private, as was he, and telling the group that he'd put himself in danger not only once, but twice, was forcing them to face the reality of what it was they were doing.

"My moms heart," Henry looked at James with wide eyes, "You got it back for her?!"

Regina bit her lip to suppress the smile at her teenage son. He had grown to be so protective of her that it made her heart ache. She glanced back towards James who gave a small nod and a half smile back at Henry, the rest of the table letting out gasps and murmurs. _It turns out he couldn't lie to the kid, either._

"Aye, but you two aren't together," Killian rolled his eyes with a smirk, "There's only a couple of reasons one would take on the crocodile. Revenge or a woman. And last I heard, you don't really have much of a history with Gold."

"This calls for a celebration!" Snow smiled warmly, clasping her hands together, "I want everyone at our place this weekend. We've been through so much lately that I think we all just need a night with no worries. Don't you think?"

"Is this necessary?" Regina scoffed and pouted like a child, though she couldn't help the warmth niggling through her chest at the way these people hadn't stopped caring about her.

"What about you, James?" Killian gave a mischievous grin, "Can you hang better than your twin?"

"Undoubtedly," James muttered with wag of his eyebrow and a smirk towards Charming who was reacting rather childishly at the jesting.

She frowned as she watched James seem to be more open to the idea of spending time with all of them before letting out a breath, noticing Snow eyeing her. The annoying woman would undoubtedly try to goad her for information at this dinner or whatever she had planned. _Too bad it was none of her business._

* * *

"Why are you still here?" Regina snarled argumentatively when she saw James come into her bedroom, glancing towards him from where she stood at her bathroom sink. It irked her that he thought he could just waltz in to her home like he lived there or something. She also hated to be caught off guard, yet here she was in nothing but her underwear, mouth full of toothpaste and a toothbrush hanging from her lips.

"What? I can't stay the night with my girlfriend?" He mocked the statement made in the diner, knowing it had gotten under her skin. Having to admit to the group that he'd saved her wasn't something he'd really wanted to do, either. But it had happened, it was over with, and he wasn't about to brood over it any longer. Unfortunately, his _girlfriend_ was a grudge holder.

"I think you have me confused with your tacky fur wearing ex," Regina scoffed, spitting the foam from her mouth and running her toothbrush under the water before dropping it back in the holder on the sink.

"Cruella was a distraction," He smirked at the hint of irritation and jealousy in her tone, coming up behind her at the sink and running his hands around her hips, "You're something else entirely," He glanced at her in the mirror as he pressed his lips to the side of her neck.

"I'm serious. There are rules. You can't just show up here whenever you want. What if Henry had been staying the night?" She huffed irritably, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at him.

"You knew I was going to the docks with Killian after breakfast," He raised an eyebrow at her before starting to pepper the skin on her neck with kisses, trying to distract her out of the mood she was in. He knew she was worked up over feeling so on display at breakfast, but it hadn't been any better for him. "I heard him on the phone with Emma saying she and Henry were making dinner. So, I knew he wouldn't be here."

"But you didn't think to run it by me to see if I even wanted you here?" She was being a bitch and she knew it, but it was an old habit to push people away who tried to worm their way in. _And old habits die hard._

"Hm...not really," He shrugged before sucking down on her skin, running his hands over her smooth, toned stomach, "Because I wanted to see you. And I get what I want."

"Bastard," She hissed, tensing in his grasp despite her breath getting stuck in her throat at his ministrations to her neck.

"Can I join you?" His hands ran back around between his chest and her back, fingers gripping the clasp to her bra, his question reminding her that she had indeed turned the shower on to heat while she'd brushed her teeth.

She grew angry at the arousal that began to burn low in her stomach as his fingertips ran up to the straps of her bra, pushing them down her shoulders and allowing the lace to fall at her feet. He glanced up at her in the mirror before pressing his lips to the space between her shoulder blades, hands coming around to cup her breasts.

"I don't know what you're expecting from me," Regina grit out though her breath had quickened, hips instinctively curling back towards him. His fingers thumbed and caressed her soft mounds and nipples, causing heat to pool between her legs and a slow throbbing to begin. She hated her body's reaction to him; hated that she didn't want to make him leave.

"Just a fuck, Regina," He bit down on the flesh of her back, causing her to gasp and spin around in his arms. Her hands reached his chest before she knew what she was doing, giving him a healthy shove back with all of her force. It simply made him take a few steps back, his eyes darkening at her angry outburst. She'd been pushing his buttons since he'd gotten there. _She deserved a taste of her own medicine._

"You have some nerve!" She yelled at him, stepping up to hit her hands against his chest again.

"What? You vehemently denied being my girlfriend in the diner," He replied heatedly, grabbing her wrists to stop them from her pathetic attempt to pummel him, "That makes what we're doing just _fucking_ , does it not?"

She glared at him, realizing he had been testing her, "Are you really pouting because I said I wasn't your girlfriend?" She snarled up at him, voice dripping with disdain.

"Are you really hitting me because I agreed with you?" The corner of his mouth turned up into a hint of a smirk, causing her eyes to darken considerably.

"In the most vulgar way! I swear to god if you don't let go of my wrists I'm going to light your-" James shut her up with a kiss, leaning down to press his lips fiercely against her own.

"Regina, shut up," He groaned against her mouth when she tried to continue her sentence, letting go of her wrists and gripping her ass instead. She gasped when he scooped her off of the ground, wrapping her legs around his waist as he swiftly carried her over to the shower.

"You're lucky I d-" She yelped when the cold tile of the shower hit her bare back as he landed her against it with a thud before he stole another kiss. Her body betrayed her when her hips pressed up against his as the hot steam rolled around them, sprayers hitting them from all angles, causing her to let out a deep moan into his mouth.

"No, _you're_ lucky I don't feed into your petty bullshit," He grumbled against her lips, sending a shot of anger and arousal swirling through her as their tongues brushed. He was right and she hated him for it. She'd blatantly denied anything between them in front of everyone at breakfast, but got angry with him when he called it what it was in the privacy of her bathroom. Except it wasn't just fucking. He knew it. She knew it.

If it had been anyone else; someone softer, someone who didn't have a dark, mean streak in them like James, they would've walked away. He took her barbs like compliments and let her hateful words roll off his back. He rolled his eyes at her attempts to hurt him and got rough right back when she deserved it. No one had stood up to her like that before or cared enough to put up with it all.

"I hate you," She snarled against his stubbly mouth, gripping his wet black shirt and jerking it upwards, making him pin her to the wall with his body and raise his hands to let her take it off. They both moaned when he pressed his chest back to hers and kissed her hungrily, his hands coming back down to grip her thighs, pulling them up and pushing them towards her.

"I hate you," He mumbled in reply with no edge to his tone whatsoever, spreading her thighs wider and grinding himself in between. She felt him hard and thick already, pressing against her core through his jeans but before she could reach down to undo them, he'd made other plans.

Hot water pelted them as he hoisted her higher up the cold shower wall, causing her nipples to harden and her fingertips find his arms quickly. She dug her nails into his skin at the fear of toppling over but he had her. Her lips parted in panting as he started to kiss down her chest, mouth tugging at both nipples briefly before trailing down her stomach. He kept his hands securely under her thighs as he came to his knees, running his tongue in the sensitive bend where her thigh met her groin, pulling her panties to the side with the tip of it.

Regina gasped when he finally ran his tongue over her, one hand reaching out for the wall beside her and the other reaching down to card through his hair. He let her legs drape over his shoulders, bringing her sex closer to his mouth as his hands came up to grip and knead her ass. She moaned loudly now, pleasure pushing past her rage, causing her back to arch from the cool tile.

"You know, maybe you're right," He murmured before sucking down on her clit firmly enough to make her yelp and dig her nails into his skull. "I shouldn't just barge in like this," He murmured, lips brushing against her, "Should I go?"

Her eyes shot open and she glared down at him before seeing the smirk appear on his chiseled features at her reaction, " _Jaaaames,_ " She whined with a frustrated groan, "You-" She swallowed her words when he began to eat her in earnest, causing her belly to begin its tremble as she coiled and tightened, hips working against his mouth wantonly.

"I want to feel you come," He groaned into her before running the flat of his tongue over her one last time, letting her legs down on the floor of the shower as he straightened back up and picked her up against the wall again.

"You could've done that with your tongue," She huffed, a flick of her wrist removing the rest of his clothing. "Fuck!" She gasped when he filled her almost instantly, driving into her to the hilt, tucking her petite legs around his strong torso.

"Mmm, I want to feel you come on my cock," He groaned as he pressed his forehead to hers and looked at her with devilishly dark blue eyes, "I want to hear you do that little whimper and then feel you clench down," His lips brushed against her own as he talked, hands gripping the flesh of her ass, evoking a sharp gasp from her when he rutted deeper inside of her.

She wrapped one arm around his neck, giving her better leverage to move with him as he slowly began to rock into her, making her give a slow, heady moan. Her other hand grasped at the small of his back, pulling him towards her when he pushed deeper, creating a rhythm that had her coiling quickly. Steam filled her bathroom, making it almost too cloudy to see out of the shower and their bodies slick from the water splashing them.

James grinned at how his words affected her, keeping his forehead pressed against hers so he could watch her reactions, "I'll go down on you all night if you want me to, but I can't miss the way your lips part when I'm inside of you," He groaned, thrusting roughly now with how wet she was, pressing his chest into hers and feeling her nipples hard against his skin. "And that gasp for breath you take after you come and you're oversensitive."

"Mmmm," She moaned louder, knowing the exact moment he spoke of as she gripped his hair tightly and tilted his head to the side to kiss him fiercely, "Fuck me harder," The order left her lips without a second thought, followed by a cry when he obeyed almost instantly.

Their movements became frenzied as his hands gripped her ass, the sound of their skin slapping as he hit her harder filling the shower, driving her up the wall with each thrust. She moaned loudly, digging her nails into his scalp and back as she pressed her hips up from the cold wall to meet his thrusts with more friction. The heat in her stomach pooled quickly, letting out a growl into his mouth when his hips jerked within her and sent her over the edge.

Her cry caught in her throat as her body tensed and jerked against his own, " _Shit-fu-James-g-god!_ " She babbled before crying out at the climax, feeling him pounding her until he groaned with his own release. Her knees wrapped tightly around his ribcage as she fought her body's desire to curl into itself, her head falling to press against his shoulder breathlessly.

He groaned near her ear as he pressed his own head against the side of hers, both of his hands still under her thighs, using his body weight to press her into the wall as they both recovered, "Not bad for two people who don't even like each other."


	13. Chapter 13

_hi. thanks for the support of this story. i'm leaving the rumple story a little open ended for a reason- this chapter will complete it, but there may be a few one shots in the future (after i finish some other stories) if you all want. let me know :) xoxo_

* * *

The evening had turned out to be more enjoyable than Regina imagined it would be. She'd been horrible to James all day and he'd called her a pouty bitch on more than one occasion. To which she'd responded with a heated glare and threatening to kick him out of the house. He'd stayed with her that week on and off, finding little reasons to come back in the evenings and spend them with her.

She couldn't say that she absolutely hated having his company. James turned out to hold rather intellectual conversation when he wasn't being a smug bastard and she found he enjoyed cooking. They'd spend the evenings bantering or bickering casually as they moved about the kitchen, trying to boss one another around on whatever recipe they were making.

It had been a welcome distraction, if she were being honest, but she'd never admit that to Charming's evil twin. Henry hadn't come back to her home yet and she'd grown a little worried that things may have changed permanently between them, so having James around had helped her refrain from sitting and brooding over it like she would've if she were left alone.

She'd practically been shaking at the idea of being trapped in that loft apartment with the Charming family, the Savior and her son when they arrived at the decrepit building. James had, in his own way, prompted her to put on her big girl panties and take it head on. When they walked into the apartment it was cozy, smelling of comfort food and full of happy chatter. Her shoulders had visibly sagged with relief when she realized she'd walked in like she was prepared for battle, only to be greeted with smiles. She felt a pang of guilt and disappointment with herself at how she'd pushed these people away. _Pushed her family away._

Since they'd arrived there had been dinner, then Killian had pulled James near the record player, both of them sneaking sips of rum from his flask. They'd made fast friends, undoubtedly bonding over their love for leather and liquor, but Regina merely felt her lips tug into a hint of a smile as she watched them and rolled her eyes. He'd glance around the room every now and then until he clocked her, giving her a half smirk before turning back to his conversation with Killian. She felt a warmness creeping up inside of her at the knowledge she had someone to share those kinds of glances with again. And then immediate anxiety that this was quickly becoming too real with him.

"You okay?" Henry's voice tore her from her daydream, his body weight bouncing her as he plopped down on the small sofa beside of her. Charming and Snow worked on dishes, Emma making sure everyone had a drink. She'd brought a glass of wine to the Mayor with a nod of her head and a mutter, but had actively avoided her since. _But at least their son wasn't._

"I'm fine, why would you ask?" She smiled warmly at the boy who'd since surpassed her in height, reaching out to take his hand into hers.

"You're kind of quiet after dinner, I dunno," He smiled and gave a small shrug, leaning in towards her though his height prevented him from resting his head on her shoulder like he used to, "Emma's kinda being weird, too."

"We've all been through a lot lately," She reasoned with a glance towards the blonde who was looking their way before quickly averting her gaze towards her little brother, "I kinda tried to wipe her out with a curse and she kinda tried to kill me," Regina smiled weakly, "Things just take a minute to get back to normal sometimes."

"I get it," Henry nodded with a glance down at their hands, "I'm just glad you're back, Mom."

"Me too," She felt tears prickle her eyes as she leaned in to touch the sides of their heads together, "Henry...have you been avoiding coming over?" She pulled back to look at him more seriously, the doubt eating away at her until she could no longer hold it in.

"Maybe a little," He admitted sheepishly with a shrug and a glance towards James, "I didn't know if you wanted me there and..uh...I didn't want to...ruin things between..you and..uh..."

Regina watched her son skirt around the subject of she and James awkwardly, undoubtedly doing so since she had such a strong reaction against anyone claiming they were a couple. She sighed, biting down on her lip, "Listen to me. That is your home. You should've been there all along. I've been so selfish, Henry. I just thought...you'd be better off without me. I felt so dark after Robin I...I was afraid of what might happen...and I didn't want you to witness it."

"I know, Mom, I've already forgiven you for that," He looked at her seriously, "And I'm not using James as an excuse as to why I feel awkward coming over. I just wanted to give you your space. For 11 years it was just you and me. You didn't get a chance to date or do anything for yourself without a kid around. And now we have family," He nods towards the Charmings who bustled around the kitchen and Emma laughing with Neal, Killian and James in animated conversation at the record player, "You can have some time to yourself. You don't have to worry about me so much because I've got all these people worrying about me, too."

"Like I'd ever stop worrying about you, Henry," She smiles weakly and shook her head, amazed at the wisdom her teenage son carried, "I love you so much. More than anyone. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," He gave her a sheepish grin before wrapping his arms around her.

"So you'll start alternating weeks between me and Emma again, right?" She asked him hopefully, pressing her lips to his temple in a gentle kiss before pulling back to look at him.

"Yeah, of course," Henry nodded with a smile, eyes shifting towards James again, "Will he be there?"

"Absolutely not," Regina shook her head with wide eyes, "I wouldn't subject you to something as inappropriate as having a man over while you're there."

"Mom," He rolled his eyes with a laugh that was a little deeper than she remembered, reminding him how he was changing into a man before her own eyes, "I'm not a little kid. I get it. Besides, Hook and Emma are shacking up together. And, I like James from what I've seen of him. He saved you and looked after you."

"I guess he's not that bad," She sighed as she stole a quick glance towards him, seeing him almost sense her stare as he looked over his shoulder and gave them a smile, "But I don't want you to get the wrong idea, Henry. I jumped in too fast with Robin, I think, and I don't want to make that same mistake again. It's not just me I need to consider. I know you miss Robin, too. And if it weren't for me bringing him into your life you wouldn't of experienced that loss."

"Will you stop blaming yourself for everything that happens?" Her son quirked his brow and her lips parted in surprise, "It's not your fault you ended up with Robin. That was fate. And it's not your fault how it ended. He made the choice to stay with his daughter in the Underworld..." He bit his lip, tone softening at the sensitive subject, "I'm not saying this to hurt you, Mom...but when we were doing Operation Mongoose to get him back I saw how hard you fought for him...yet he was moving on with someone else..." The words stung her despite how gentle he said them, "You deserve better than that."

"Thank you, Henry," She managed to squeak out when she found her voice, quickly swiping at the tear that rolled down her cheek. It was the validation that she'd needed to hear. It was things she'd thought herself over and over, while chastising herself for being too hard on Robin. It was what James had thrown in her face when they were trapped in jail. Yet hearing it from her teenage son somehow made it okay for her to feel betrayed by Robin and grieve him at the same time. She was only human and she had the truest believer sitting in front of her telling her so. _Believing in her._

"You haven't come this far to hold yourself back from what could be your happy ending," He smiled at her seriously and she gave a silent nod, unable to speak up for fear of letting out a sob.

"Hey kid," Emma broke up their moment then, coming over with a tumbler of whiskey in her hand, "Trevor's mom just called, they're outside waiting."

"Bowling alley," Henry glanced back at Regina with a smile and a shrug, "I'll see you Thursday, mom. Love you."

"Love you," She replied, watching him bounce up to go meet up with his friends, earning a hair ruffling from Emma who had to stand on her tip toes to do it.

"Be careful!" Regina found she and Emma calling out to him in unison as he bounded towards the door.

Her eyes found Emma's as the blonde looked at her with a half smile and a shrug, sitting down where Henry had been but not as close, "So uh, looks like James and Killian have hit it off."

"I do hope Killian doesn't convince James to start wearing eyeliner," Regina tilted her chin up in an attempt at a joke, hearing the blonde give an unceremonious snort beside of her. One thing she liked about Emma is that they dealt with uncomfortable situations the same way by using dry humor to deflect whatever it was they were avoiding. _It wasn't healthy, but it worked._

"I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable with them hanging out unsupervised," Emma raised an eyebrow skeptically as she took a sip of her whiskey, watching as the two men nodded their head to a '80s hairband vinyl Hook had put on.

"That's definitely not happening," Regina agreed with a cross of her arms and a smirk towards the other mother of her son, "So, Sheriff Swan, are you going to tell me what's eating you alive?"

"What are you talking about? You're the one over here brooding," Emma countered her with a stubborn expression. It was always a battle of the wills when they would try to get each other to talk about something first, neither of them used to being the one to give in. Regina was in no mood for beating around the bush, though, the few glasses of wine she had making her a bit impulsive.

"You've been off ever since I started coming back around," She frowned, "You don't have to feel guilty for almost killing me. You did it to save Henry, I would've done the same."

"Yeah, well," She scoffed, biting her lip in stubborn Swan-like fashion as she stared into space and toed her boot against the coffee table, "It's not just the fact I almost killed you. It's the fact I got you into this fucking mess in the first place. I cost you your soulmate. I almost sent you back to a dark place again."

"It wasn't you," Regina grit out and rolled her eyes, stifling down the vindictive and petty part of her that wanted to scream it was. But deep down she knew that Emma and Killian were not to blame. Regina had followed them all down to the Underworld willingly to help out. Robin had made his own bed when it came to having a baby he had to worry about. It was a harsh though, but true. "I went willingly. Robin chose to stay for his daughter. I just had to..work through it."

"Yeah well next time you're working through something, don't push us away," She felt Swan's eyes on her then, boring holes into the side of her face when she glanced down at the wine glass in her hands, "Henry fucking missed you like crazy. That wasn't fair to him. That wasn't fair to the rest of us who you disappeared from, either."

Regina scoffed crassly and met Emma's stare, "You saying you missed me, Sheriff Swan?"

"I'm saying we all did, Madam Mayor," Emma mocked the use of their former titles for one another, "Don't pull that recluse shit on us again. Got it?"

* * *

"So mate," Killian grinned mischievously at James after the two of them and David stepped out on the fire escape for a cigar. Snow, Emma and Regina were still inside, James noticing that the Mayor's cheeks were rosy tinted from the wine and she was talking a bit more openly to the other women now. She seemed to be having a decent time, so he allowed himself to partake.

"What?" James glanced back and forth between David and Killian, perking an eyebrow. His idiot brother seemed just as unaware of what Killian was about to ask as he was, but then again his twin always looked a bit clueless.

"You gonna tell us what's going on between you and Madam Mayor?" Hook nudged Charming in the ribs, causing him to laugh, "Your twin and I have been running bets."

"Sorry to disappoint you," James chuckled a little, taking a drag of his cigarette, "That's between me and Madam Mayor."

"So there is something going on," David perked and eyebrow, exchanging a grin with the pirate. James liked Killian so far, but they'd run into problems if he insisted on goading him with the help of his idiot brother.

"Didn't say that," He shrugged and leaned against the railing, laughing it off. It wasn't unusual for guys to get into much more graphic conversations after a drink or two, but he knew Regina was deathly private and he didn't want to betray her trust.

"Ah, come on," Hook tilted the flask back before hissing through his teeth as he swallowed the rum, "Well David, I guess it's up to you to give us the details. After all, you got some experience with the Evil Queen."

"Man, that was between us!" David's mouth dropped and he looked at Killian with a dumbfounded expression.

"What?" James could barely manage to hide the clipped tone of his voice, fury bubbling within him instantly at the idea of Regina having been with his brother. He wasn't usually the jealous type over women, he never had been before, but she was the one good thing in his life that his brother hadn't had first. _Or so he thought._

"You're the one who stayed at the Evil Queen's castle," David shifted the attention back to Killian accusingly as he threw up his hands.

"Wait, you and Regina?" James frowned deeply at Killian, "What the hell?"

"No mate, nothing happened between your girl and I," Killian grinned smugly, proud of the teasing he'd done, "Business only. But your brother here did spend a romantic evening with the Mayor before the curse was broken."

"You-" James' eyes narrowed at David, seeing his twin look at him in an attempt to put on a straight face. David has clearly had a few beers too many, his inability to remain stoic when he laughed with Killian sending James to a near boiling point.

"Oh yeah-" Killian nudged David in the ribs as the other man mumbled for him to shut up between chuckles, "Say, has she made the lasagna for you, yet? That's her move, innit David?"

James felt his fists clenching dangerously, jaw clenched, anger quickly rising to the surface at the thought of his brother with Regina and the way the two men were cackling about it. He swallowed the growl threatening to spill out, telling himself he couldn't lose his cool and undo all of the progress he and Regina had made together and with her family. _Until..._

"Yeah, her lasagna is _amazingggg_..."

* * *

"What in the hell?" Emma's jaw dropped and eyes widened at the grown men tumbling back into the loft apartment from the balcony. David fell and rolled into a run, James landing on his feet and lunging forward. Their faces mirrored the same thunderous expressions, slightly flushed from alcohol and exertion.

Regina gaped at David taking off through the apartment yelling, James on his heels with a snarl of fury as he reached to grab him but missed when Charming leapt forward. Killian stumbled through the window from the fire escape behind them, red faced with laughter as he clutched his stomach and watched the men.

"David?! James?!" Snow stood, using her most authoritative teacher tone on the men who paid her no mind.

"I didn't- let me explain!" Charming called out, jumping over the footstool as they lapped the apartment. Vases and chairs were being knocked over, furniture being shoved and rugs overturned.

"Explain what?! Liar!" James huffed taking a leap from the footstool to clear space, tackling Charming from behind as they rolled to the floor in a heavy thud. Both of the men groaned but continued to roll around in a pathetic, tired wrestle.

"James what are you doing?!" Regina yelled, the three women sharing wide eyed glances.

"Hook-" Emma narrowed her eyes at her trouble causing boyfriend, "-what did you do? Break this shit up!"

"Me-I didn't do anything!" His mouth dropped in mock innocence as the men rolled fighting, knocking chairs astray in the dining room with fists and legs swinging.

"I didn't do anything!" Charming yelled, angry now at James and fighting back at his twin's grip on his collar.

"Didn't do what?" Regina looked at Hook, seeing him shrug and feign innocence.

"Break it up!" Snow was yelling now, coming over to the two men who had tired themselves out, James pinning his brother down who put up hands in surrender.

"What's wrong with you?!" Regina stomped towards them, gripping his arm and jerking him up. He looked at her with a flushed face, bloodied lip and a torn shirt, breathing heavily.

James looked back at his brother who threw his hands up and yelled _"I swear!"_ towards him while Snow fussed over his already swelling eye. He swallowed his rage before glancing back at Regina reluctantly, "Nothing."

"That was not nothing!" She exclaimed with angry eyes, "My son could've still been here! That is not the behavior I want him witnessing from his grandfather and great uncle!"

"Yeah no shit," Emma saddled up beside Regina with a glare towards Hook, "Now do you three wanna sit in time out like the children you're acting like or do you wanna cough up why your being idiots?"

James remained tight lipped, Regina able to tell he was holding back for some reason. Charming simply pouted from where he sat in a kitchen chair, Snow fussing over his wounded eye. All eyes turned to Killian then, watching him as he turned a slight shade of crimson.

"I uh, may have told James about David and Regina's romantic evening before the curse broke," His unhooked hand crept up over the back of his neck, one of his eyebrows perking sheepishly.

"What?" Emma's mouth fell again in shock as her eyes flitted towards the Mayor. Charming and Snow stood awkwardly, James staring hard at Regina with an unreadable expression.

"Nothing happened!" Charming said towards James with an earnest expression, "I helped her with her car. We had dinner, that was it."

Regina felt embarrassment and anger tinge her cheeks red as her glaring eyes scanned the room, clocking on James. Fury bubbled within her that his outburst was the reason her embarrassing come on to David was made public knowledge, "That still doesn't explain you chasing him around like an idiot."

"Regina-," Snow said gently as if she knew what was going through her head.

"You know damn well why I chased him around this fucking room-" James grit back at her, speaking low towards. He stepped up to her, staring her down with a challenging expression. She knew she was pushing him to the limit and that if she rejected him again it would probably be too much. He was waiting for her decision, waiting to see if she was going to denounce what was going on between them again.

The self destructive streak in her was on fire from her rage and embarrassment, demanding release. She didn't want to hurt him, that wasn't her intention, but her humiliation at being so publicly displayed urged her to lash out, "No, I don't! You have no claim to me!"

A flicker of hurt flashed in James' eyes before his expression hardened, "Thank god for that."

She felt the awkward silence as everyone in the room stared at she and James, seeing Snow's disappointed gaze from the corner of her eye. Her heart pounded and ached at the same time and the apartment suddenly felt a third of it's already small size. The urge to run away from it all overcame her once more and she gave them all one hardened glance before waiving her arms and disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.

* * *

Regina sat in the floor of her vault, back leaned against the cold stone wall. She'd discarded her heeled boots, materializing a bottle of wine and a glass with her magic. Half of it was gone now as she sulked, letting her head rest against the wall and considering what she'd done. James hadn't tried to find her or even call her and she hated that the fact bothered her. The look on his face when she snapped at him in front of everyone earlier replayed in her mind over and over, making her grit her teeth at her own stupid temper.

Irritation bubbled back to the surface when she heard her vault being opened and a familiar lilted voiced called her name from above. She ignored it, gulping down a few more swigs of her bitter wine and hoping the idiot would go away. She was in no mood for a speech from the hope commission right now.

"I thought you'd be down here," Snow gave that timid smile she normally did when she was upset, though she still approached. _As she always did._

"What do you want, Snow?" Regina drawled out with an irritated tone, avoiding her gaze as she refilled her wine goblet with a flick of her wrist.

"Are you really going to sit down here and feel sorry for yourself?" The younger woman asked to goad her as she crouched down, sitting across from her.

She found herself shooting a glare at her former step-daughter, ready to snap at her until she saw the knowing look in her gaze. That stupid woman always seemed to be able to look through her and know what she was feeling, despite how hard she tried to cover it. They had too much history to not know how the other worked.

"If you've come here to lecture me, let me warn you I am not in the mood," Regina snarled, throwing a look of disgust towards Snow.

"I came here to talk to you, I thought you may need a friend," Snow shrugged casually, shaking her head with a faint smile at the Queen's abrasive nature, "What was that, back there?"

"What was what?" She snapped, "James acted like a childish fool and I let him know his behavior was not acceptable."

"You took your anxiety over your relationship out on him because you felt like you were put on display," Snow sighed, "That's what you always do when you feel like someone has backed you into a corner. You start pushing people away, being as nasty as you can until they prove you right and walk away. Why is it still so unbelievable to you that someone could love you? That you may still be able to have your happy ending?"

"I've had my chance at a happy ending," She laughed bitterly, "And look what happened. I drug Robin into my mess and now he's lost his life because of it. Roland is an orphan. That's all because he loved me. And my happy ending is not going to be found with the man who took Robin's life."

"First of all, James didn't do that, Hades did," Snow began, troubling her bottom lip while she found the right words, "And secondly, you're not responsible for what happened to Robin. He had his own free will. He made the choice to go to New York with who he thought was Marian, he made the choice to try to move on, which got him into the situation with Zelena. You tried your hardest to save him on multiple occasions, Regina. From a mess he created because he didn't try to fight for you..."

Regina swallowed hard at the knot forming in her throat, teeth clenching together, "Why should he have? I'm the Evil Queen. Do you know how close I was to going dark again? To self destructing and losing every ounce of redemption I'd gained since the curse broke? I'll always have that dark part inside of me. I didn't deserve Robin."

"Listen to me, Regina," Snow said in a firm tone that caused her to look up in surprise. The princess usually never spoke to her in such a way and Regina saw a fiery hint of anger in her eyes that shocked her further, "You didn't deserve Robin-" Regina's heart dropped, "-You deserved someone who fights for you and accepts that dark part of you. Someone who gets that and knows how to handle you. And despite what you think, you do deserve to be happy and have someone...you've come so far."

She battled the tears welling in her eyes, forcing herself to glare back at Snow White though she knew her step-daughter was well aware it was just an attempt to deflect appearing vulnerable. Her voice was raspy and weak when she finally spoke, "But what if I can't be happy? What if my heart is too damaged?"

"What do you mean?" Snow's head cocked to the side in confusion, studying the older brunette, "Regina..." She prodded her when she hesitated.

"My heart it...it feels," She averted her gaze towards the floor, feeling a tear fall down over her cheek, "It doesn't feel as heavy...it's like there's a pressure that's missing, ever since James put it back in my chest...I've read before that being injured while separated from your heart can cause permanent damage. Can lessen how well you can feel your heart even when it's back in..."

"Your heart isn't as heavy?" Snow spoke softly, "And you think that means it's damaged?"

"Well what else could it be?!" She threw up her hands in frustration, looking back at the hopeless optimist before her.

The Princess eyed her with gentle eyes before asking, "Did you ever consider that maybe the heaviness has been lifted a little because you...have someone around that truly understands it and cares for you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Regina muttered though realization made her stomach flop. Was Snow right? She still felt her love for Henry with her entire being. She still felt a love for the Charmings and Emma that she'd never admit. If her heart was damaged and not working properly, she wouldn't be feeling those strong emotions.

"Yes, I think you do..." Snow prodded again and Regina flashed her a glance of irritation at the incessant nudging. _Insufferable, optimistic, wise idiot._

* * *

James stared into his glass of whiskey as he sat at the bar at Granny's. He'd stormed out after Regina left, walking to 108 Mifflin Street and barging in, prepared to have it out with her once and for all. He found after blowing through all of the rooms that she wasn't there and by the time he'd realized she must be in her vault, his pride had gotten the best of him and he refused to go find her.

She'd more than told him where he stood with her tonight and he should listen. Since when did he pine over women? He didn't have feelings for women. He didn't fall in love. They were a fun time and replaceable. _But she was so much more. And nobody can replace Regina._

A scowl marred his features at the knowledge of how he felt for her. He'd been avoiding it and ignoring it for weeks. It had been nice playing house and that is what he'd continually told himself he was doing. He didn't actually care about Regina. He simply understood her and was helping out one of his own kind. _But since when did villains help each other?_

He hated that there was no talking himself out of it. Like an idiot he'd allowed himself to fall for the Evil Queen. There was something about seeing her in the throws of passion, losing herself in pleasure. There was something about being inside of her home and seeing the human, motherly side of her. There was something about seeing her injured and vulnerable, needing someone to care about her. He'd seen who she was under all of the layers she put on to keep people out and he hadn't been able to stop himself from wanting more.

"Thought I'd find you here," Charming's voice pulled him from his thoughts as he sat down on the stool beside him.

James found himself rolling his eyes, though the bruise appearing on his brother's eye when he looked at him gave him some satisfaction, "What do you want?"

"To talk," David muttered, seeing Granny come over to the counter and look over her glasses for his order, "A bag of frozen peas, please," He grumbled, throwing a glare towards James.

"I don't want to talk," He grit out, taking another swig of his whiskey and ignoring his brother.

"Me neither, but Snow sent me to straighten things out," David admitted, nodding at Granny when she brought out the frozen peas before groaning when he pressed them against his swelling eyes.

"You always let her wear the pants?" He scoffed throwing a glance at the man who looked just a irritated as he felt.

"Says the guy who's been playing Regina's housewife for weeks," His brother retorted, reaching forward for the beer Granny brought him. He hadn't even had to order, the old wolf sensing that there was a tense conversation in the works. She'd finally started serving James since their family dinner earlier this week, granting him another chance since the _hero David_ had decided he was worthy.

"Fuck off."

"Dish it out but you can't take it, huh?"

"Did you just come here to fight? Because I'd be glad to go back outside and finish what we started earlier," James growled and looked at him, seeing David let out a breath and press his lips together in submission.

"No, I just wanted to tell you that nothing happened between me and Regina," David began.

"Why would I care if it did or not?"

"I think it's clear you do, James."

"Does it matter now?"

"Yeah, because it's time to put your pride aside," Charming leveled seriously.

James boiled now. Wasn't that what he'd been doing for weeks? Ignoring Regina's temper tantrums and her attempts at pushing him away. Being there regardless of how much she fought him on it, "I can put up with a lot. I've put up with more from her in the past few weeks than I ever have anybody. I understand she's angry and confused. But I draw the line at what happened tonight."

"I get it, she rejected you in front of everyone and that's never easy," David set his beer down on the counter, "But that's just what she does. Trust me, I've known Regina for years. Whenever she's scared of something, she brings out the claws and uses them on whatever is threatening her. And tonight, your feelings for each other were put on display and it scared the shit out of her."

"What if that's not it? What if she just really doesn't feel the same way?" James shrugged as if he didn't care, downing the rest of his tumbler, "Maybe she's still not over Robin."

"If that was the case then she's have done a lot worse tonight than disappear in a puff of smoke," David shook his head, "That evening we uh..had dinner before the curse broke. I helped her with her groceries when her car broke down and...when we got to her house she found a note from Henry saying he wouldn't be home. She looked so lonely I couldn't just leave, so we had dinner."

"Why are you telling me this?" James grit through his teeth and threw him a glare, "I don't need the details."

"Listen for a minute, would you?" David rolled his yes, "Anyways...we had a really good time. We talked about a lot and..she ended up trying to kiss me...but it wasn't because she was into me," He frowned, "She just wanted someone. She was lonely and looking for affection. So I politely rejected her and it stung, I could tell. To be honest, if she'd just wanted to hook up I can't say I wouldn't have back then when I didn't know who Snow was...but, there was just a sadness in her eyes I couldn't ignore. She wanted it for the wrong reasons."

"How noble of you," James replied without looking at him, feeling his heart ache. He just wanted to hold that stubborn ass woman and never let her go. But she was like a wild animal and would only let it happen on her own terms.

"What I'm saying is don't give up," David slapped a ten dollar bill on the counter as he stood from the barstool, "Despite what she says, she does want someone. The harder she pushes you away, the more feelings she has for you."

* * *

"Stubborn bastard," Regina muttered, pacing her kitchen the next morning. James had never shown up, even though she'd been up half of the night expecting him. She'd been horrible to him for weeks and he's always come back for more. Had she pushed him too far last night?

Why did she even care? She should break Snow's neck for filling her head full of garbage last night. Her stubborn pride was becoming more and more difficult to hang onto as her former step-daughter's words replayed in her head. How could Un-Charming's evil twin really be her happy ending? Then again, how could she really be anybody's happy ending? It made sense that they could understand each other...but could they really make each other happy?

Her heart ached at the thought of the look on his face when she'd snapped at him in front of everyone. She'd felt that same humiliation when she went to New York to rescue Robin, only for him to make her look crazy, like she was simply some obsessive, jealous ex-girlfriend. How did she even get herself deep enough in this to care about James' feelings?

She let out a growl of frustration as she caved, reaching for her car keys off of the counter. If he wasn't going to come to her then she'd go find him. She'd worry about her goddamn pride later. Storming through the foyer she shrugged on her jacket with a huff, ready to give him a piece of her mind. Not that she really had the right to, but admitting she wanted to see him and make sure he hadn't given up on her wasn't an option. She'd rather argue with him instead.

A yelp escaped her as she went to reach for the front door handle, seeing it swing open suddenly, looking up with wide eyes to see the subject of her thoughts standing on her doormat. He wore a deep frown, accenting his black leather jacket and disheveled hair. His eyes looked a little tired and glossy, as if he'd been up as long as she had last night.

"Where you going?" He barked at her with a stern expression. She looked exquisitely put together, cobalt blue fitted dress and hair perfectly styled. It irked him that she seemed so unfazed by what had happened the night before. Did she really have no remorse? Even if she didn't love him, she could at least have a little more respect for the person who nursed her cranky ass back to health.

"None of your business!" She growled back, her eyes shifting from surprised to angry, warm brown embers glowing.

He watched the way she bit her bottom lip and glared at him, tilting her chin and averting her eyes, "You were coming to find me, weren't you?" He smirked and stepped through the doorway, making her take a step back.

"No!" She grit through her teeth, snarling at him as he shoved the door shut behind him.

"Liar," He challenged her, stepping towards her again and effectively making her walk backwards.

"Where have you been?" Regina found herself asking before she could stop herself, angry with him for not showing up.

"Well, I went to Granny's last night for a drink and Tink was there-" James lied, seeing her eyes blaze with fury.

"Tink is my friend!" She yelled bringing a hand up in front of him, throwing him back against the door with a thud, "Of all people you-"

"Aha!" James smirked, straining for breath as she held him pinned against the door, "You do have feelings for me! You're jealous!"

She let him down from the choke-hold, closing the distance between them, "I don't know why! You're sarcastic and a smart ass!" She was yelling now, their faces inches apart, bearing her teeth, "You have questionable morals! You're petty and pouty!"

"Pot, meet kettle," He said through clenched teeth, smiling fiercely back at her, "You're the biggest bitch I know! You're cold and distant, but for some reason I keep coming back for more!"

"I hate you," She hissed at him. _I love you._

"I hate you," He glared back vehemently. _I love you, too._

"God, you piss me off," James reached up to grab the back of her neck, jerking her to him and kissing her hard as their bodies crashed together. Every fiber of being was on fire for her. The way she snarled at him, the fire in her eyes, the way the sexual tension between them made her body rigid. Hearing her growl into his mouth before slipping her tongue into his made him snap, spinning them around and slamming her back against the front door.

"Get used to it," She moaned into his mouth, letting her head fall back against the door when he lifted her up from the floor after jerking her jacket off. Her hands went to his head, carding into his hair as his lips found her neck in hot, wet kisses. His hands were strong and confident as they pushed up the fitted dress, both of them giving into what they desired, physically and emotionally.

"With pleasure," He sucked on her neck as he ripped the lace of her panties, hearing her moan. Her hands came between them, nimble fingers undoing the belt buckle of his jeans. Groans escaped them when he sank inside of her within seconds, filling her completely, their bodies pressed together.

Regina's hands gripped the back of his hair tightly when he started to thrust, crying out with each movement of his that hit her deeply. His hips rocked into hers, her legs clinging around his waist, "I'm going to try," She murmured near his ear before pressing her lips into his hair, moaning loudly.

"I'm not going anywhere," He groaned back into her skin, threading his fingers through hers and pinning her hand against the door above her head. She gasped and cried out when she moved her hips to pull him into her deeper, abdomen clenching and lighting fire to the heat coiled deep in her belly.

It was different this time. Still raw and intense but with an added element of emotion that they'd never let surface during sex before. The need to be one fueled their movements into near desperation, claiming each other with each growl and thrust and whimper. James lifted his face from her neck after bruising the skin, pressing his forehead to Regina's as they both panted with jerky movements.

" _I'm going-oh god-James-ah_!" She gasped, chest heaving as she dug her nails into his neck and rolled her hips up to him, " _Harder-more-baby, please!_ " She cried out when he started to take her with force, sounds tumbling out of her freely.

"Come on, Regina," He murmured, locking eyes with her as he took her deeply, "Show me you're mine," He growled with a deep thrust as her body tightened and tensed in preparation.

She looked back at him with a desperate intensity, lips parting in heavy breaths before her eyes clamped shut and she screamed out, body convulsing between he and the door. He groaned loudly and pinned her harder as he thrust himself to the hilt, feeling her writhing and shaking underneath him as she drenched them both in her orgasm. Her fingers nearly pulled his hair from his head as she gripped on to him, riding the tremors of her orgasm out with a cry when he sank inside of her one last time, letting himself go.

 _And she was his._

* * *

 _One year later..._

"What?" James smirked a little as Regina hesitated outside of Granny's. It reminded him much of a moment they'd had about a year ago when she was nervous to go in for fear she wouldn't be accepted back into the family. He was happy to know her brief moment of collection now was for a different reason all together.

"Just," She smiled and glanced down, biting her lip in a way that made him pull her against him by the waist, "Nothing..."

"Hm," He smirked and leaned down to kiss her once before pressing his forehead to hers, "Nobody has to know. Right? Not unless we want them to." She smelled delicious, like the perfume he bought her last month for her birthday.

"You're right," Regina threaded her fingers through his before pulling back, leading him by the hand. Being brave was so much easier with someone in her corner.

"Finally! I'm starving," Henry grinned, waving them down to where the rest of them were. Granny's diner buzzed with the usual Sunday dinner crowd, none of them paying too much attention to Regina and James' presence anymore.

"Hey guys," David smiled beside a beaming Snow before looking back to his menu. Killian nodded from his seat beside Emma, arm stretched behind her on the chair.

"Welcome back," Emma eyed James and Regina curiously, "Nice weekend?"

"Yeah, it was fine," Regina shrugged coyly, quickly looking down towards her menu after they'd both taken a seat and shrugged off their jackets.

"I'm thinking pancakes, what about you?" James murmured, effectively avoiding the curious looks they were getting as he leaned in towards Regina.

Henry merely grinned from behind his own menu, watching James and Regina awkwardly pretend to be distracted. Snow and David shared a glance before Emma shrugged and decided to speak up again, "So, where'd ya go?"

"Uh, the city," James glanced up from his menu, offering a casual smile and a shrug.

"What did you guys go there for?" Snow asked and Regina could practically feel the inquiring gaze before she even looked up.

"Just...to get away," Regina raised an eyebrow, glancing around at all of them, "What is with you all? Is it so hard to believe that we'd want a break from you nosy people?" She glanced at Henry then, giving him a warm smile, "Not you, honey."

"I know," Henry smiled smugly, sharing a knowing glance with James.

"Regina..." Emma nudged Snow's arm with a gaping mouth and nodded in the direction of Regina's menu, "What the hell is that?"

"What is what?" Regina tilted her menu towards her to look at the back of it before realizing. _Goddamnit, she'd left the ring on her finger._

She looked back at them with wide eyes, biting her bottom lip as she quickly turned to James beside of her. The table grew silent, curious eyes all pointed towards them expectantly before Henry broke the silence, "They got married!"

"What?" Snow nearly cried and covered her mouth as the rest of the table erupted in gasps and chuckles.

"Congrats!" David laughed out loud with a smile, reaching out to slap his brother's arm who shifted with an uncertain smile.

"Aye, I saw that one coming," Killian smirked and raised an eyebrow at the two of them.

Emma half smiled as she shook her head in utter surprise, "Why didn't you tell anyone? We could've thrown you a wedding!"

"Because a pirate themed wedding isn't really our style," James let out a laugh, reaching for Regina's hand under the table and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He smiled when he looked back to her, seeing the tension leave her and relief fill her eyes.

Getting married had been something private for the both of them. They didn't want a big affair like Emma and Killian had. They didn't need Snow sniveling and ruining the exchange of their vows with her blubbering. James didn't need David to be his best man. They simply wanted to promise themselves to each other without the prying eyes. Their love was deep and vulnerable, neither one of them wanting to share what was so intensely theirs.

"Wait, kid, how did you know?" Emma mocked a pout as she looked to their teenage son.

"James asked my permission to marry her," Henry smiled with a shrug of his shoulders, "I said yes."

Regina and James shared a warm smile at each other that the rest of them didn't miss. They had planned on keeping it to themselves for a while, to revel in it without being under a microscope to the rest of their family. Emma, Hook, and the Charmings only wanted the best for them, but like any family, they could be overbearing. Still, Regina found herself surprised that she felt no anxiety or regret about them finding out.

"I can't believe you'd get married without telling us!" Snow pouted, crossing her arms and trying to keep herself from smiling, "Damn it, Regina. You would've made a beautiful bride!"

"She was," James replied, his eyes never leaving Regina as he winked at her and she grinned.

That was all the convincing it took for Snow, who broke into a wide, watery smile. The rest of them laughed at her as she nearly started blubbering at the thought alone, "Well, this calls for a celebration!" She demanded, dabbing at her eyes.

"Oh god, no," Regina groaned with a laugh and eyed her husband who merely smirked back at her with an eye roll.

"Just please, no poems or sailor songs this time," James smirked, causing Regina to laugh at the jab at Emma and Killian's wedding. It was foolish how a snarky little comment like that could make her heart thump faster, but she loved that he enjoyed teasing the family as much as she did. She had someone to share her dry sense of humor with. Someone who would always take her side. Someone who understood her completely. Someone who had a dark side of his own that played well with hers. Someone with unwavering loyalty. Someone of her own.

"Who would've thought that me locking you two up would've worked out so well for the both of you," David smirked before teasing, "You're welcome."

James merely rolled his eyes and glanced at his wife, finding her smiling back at him the same way. There was such love reflected in her eyes that he felt the connection they shared down to his core. They could communicate entirely by their eyes alone, for he knew she was sharing the same playful annoyance he felt at the teasing, though neither of them could deny their jail-time hadn't worked out well for them in the end. He simply smirked as he looked back up his brother, squeezing Regina's hand gently, "This may be the one time I have to agree with you."


End file.
